Best Public Schools in Troy, AL

The city of Troy, Alabama, is served by the Troy City school district, which includes three public schools covering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade: Troy Elementary School (PK-6), Charles Henderson Middle (7-8), and Charles Henderson High School (9-12). The district holds a 3-star rating, ranking 52nd out of 139 districts in Alabama, and serves a student population where roughly two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Among the three schools, Charles Henderson Middle is the clear standout. It has improved its state ranking for three consecutive years, now sitting in the 70th percentile with a 4-star rating. In the most recent testing year, it outperformed the state average in every subject, with particularly strong results in 8th-grade Science (57% proficient vs. 54% statewide) and 7th-grade English (60% vs. the state average). By contrast, Charles Henderson High School is the area of greatest concern. Its 11th-grade proficiency rates fall below state averages in all subjects, with Math at just 21% (state: 27%) and English at 25% (state: 34%). The high school's graduation rate of 90.3% is also slightly below the state's 91.5%. Troy Elementary School sits in between, showing strong early-grade Math and English results but a notable weakness in 4th-grade Science, where only 31% of students are proficient compared to 50% statewide.

A district-wide challenge is chronic absenteeism, which ranges from 16.9% at the middle school to 19.9% at the high school—well above the 12% state average. This likely contributes to the academic "fade-out" seen between middle and high school, where strong 8th-grade performance gives way to below-average 11th-grade results. The middle school's success, despite similar poverty and absenteeism levels, suggests its strategies could be a model for the rest of the district. For parents, this means Charles Henderson Middle offers the strongest academic environment, while the high school may require extra support and monitoring to ensure students stay on track.