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Dallas County

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At a glance

128^thof 139 Alabama districts▼ 7

Better than 7% of Alabama districts

Elementary 6 Middle 2 High 4Grades PK, KG-12

429 Lauderdale St
Selma, AL 36701-4581·(334) 875-3440·All Alabama district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 7.9% of districts

Schools

2,283

Students

Top rankedDallas County High School270^th of 380 Alabama high schools

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Biggest riser

Southside High School up 5 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Southside High School 13.4 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

Southside Primary School

SchoolDigger ratings

1★

0★

3 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Alabama districts →See the top-ranked Alabama schools →

Summary:

The Dallas County school district in Alabama serves approximately 2,283 students across 11 schools—6 elementary, 2 middle, and 3 high schools—in a predominantly rural, high-poverty area where all schools report free/reduced lunch rates above 76%.

For parents, the standout choice in this district is Valley Grande Elementary School, which ranks highest statewide (27th percentile) and is the only school where 3rd-grade English proficiency (68.97%) exceeds the state average. Its 3rd-grade math (43.1%) nearly matches state levels, though proficiency drops sharply in later grades. Among middle schools, William R Martin Middle School leads with 8th-grade science proficiency at 41.98%—far above the district average of 26.71%—and 7th-grade English at 52.53%. JE Terry Elementary School had a remarkable 4-star rating in 2022-2023 but has since fallen to the 26th percentile, though its 6th-grade math (31.58%) and English (52.63%) remain competitive. The most concerning schools are Keith MiddleHigh School (1st percentile, with 0% proficiency in multiple subjects) and Southside High School (6th percentile, 78.3% graduation rate). Dallas County High School is the strongest high school, with 11th-grade English at 32.31%.

District-wide, math proficiency averages just 12%, English 33%, and science 20%—all well below state benchmarks. A troubling pattern shows proficiency declining as students advance, with early literacy gains in 3rd grade not sustained. Chronic absenteeism varies wildly: Southside Primary School (4.0%) and Bruce K Craig Elementary School (4.6%) excel at attendance, while William R Martin Middle School (35.7%) and Tipton Durant Middle School (28.8%) struggle. Notably, spending shows no correlation with outcomes—Keith MiddleHigh School spends the most ($14,621/student) yet performs worst, while Valley Grande Elementary spends least ($8,689) and performs best. The district's best path forward is studying what works at Valley Grande and William R Martin and replicating those practices elsewhere.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)							Summative Assessment Science (2026)			Summative Assessment English (2026)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Brantley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	5585 Water Ave	Selma	36703	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 874-8185	204	10	20.4	86.8%	27 (13.2%)	155 (76.0%)	5 (2.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.8%)	10.8	637^th of 686 public elementary schools	7.1%		10.6	632^nd of 680 public elementary schools	7.1%	5	16.1	15.4	12.9					30.8			29.0	38.5	25.8					$10,642	$2,130	$8,491
Dallas County High School	Public	9-12	335 5th Ave	Plantersville	36758	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 366-2232	334	24	14.0	76.0%	77 (23.1%)	231 (69.2%)	6 (1.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.1%)	29.3	270^th of 380 public high schools	28.9%		30.7	247^th of 374 public high schools	34.0%	23							7.6			13.6							32.3	$9,853	$1,685	$8,145
JE Terry Elementary School	Public	K-6	70 Academy St	Plantersville	36758	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 266-2838	110	8	13.7	85.5%	59 (53.6%)	41 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.1%)								(n/a)																		$12,312	$2,048	$10,242
Keith MiddleHigh School	Public	6-12	1166 Dallas Road 115	Orrville	36767	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 875-4155	188	10	18.5	89.9%	2 (1.1%)	180 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.7%)	5.8	378^th of 380 public high schools	0.5%		12.5	347^th of 374 public high schools	7.2%	31				0.0	0.0	8.0	3.5		8.0	0.0				18.8	23.3	24.0	0.0	$14,621	$3,757	$10,841
Salem Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3486 Dallas Road 3	Orrville	36767	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 996-8636	155	9	17.2	78.1%	2 (1.3%)	147 (94.8%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	15.9	586^th of 686 public elementary schools	14.6%		23.5	517^th of 680 public elementary schools	24.0%	69	50.0	9.1	10.5					22.7			38.9	31.8	26.3					$11,997	$2,121	$9,854
Southside High School	Public	9-12	7975 US Highway 80 E	Selma	36701	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 872-0518	285	21	13.4	89.1%	4 (1.4%)	268 (94.0%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	9.9	356^th of 380 public high schools	6.3%		10.3	361^st of 374 public high schools	3.5%	5							3.9			11.5							5.9	$13,183	$3,453	$9,707
Southside Primary School	Public	K-2	3104 Old Montgomery Hwy	Selma	36703	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 874-9566	147	8	18.3	87.8%	2 (1.4%)	137 (93.2%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.1%)	9.3	648^th of 686 public elementary schools	5.5%					(n/a)	14.0	10.9	11.4					19.6			42.0	32.6	40.0					$11,494	$2,250	$9,221
Tipton Durant Middle School	Public	6-8	2500 Tipton St	Selma	36701	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 872-8080	176	7	24.0	92.6%	2 (1.1%)	163 (92.6%)	4 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.0%)	6.6	436^th of 443 public middle schools	1.6%		5.9	437^th of 439 public middle schools	0.5%	1				8.9	0.0	0.0			12.7					17.8	23.2	21.8		$13,056	$6,699	$6,335
Valley Grande Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2765 Dallas County Road 81	Valley Grande	36701	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 872-7661	353	17	20.7	77.1%	103 (29.2%)	207 (58.6%)	12 (3.4%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.4%)	27.8	502^nd of 686 public elementary schools	26.8%		28.2	491^st of 680 public elementary schools	27.8%	11	43.1	21.6	9.4					25.5			69.0	43.1	50.9					$8,689	$1,547	$7,121
William R Martin Middle School	Public	7-8	2863 County Road 81	Valley Grande	36703	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 872-6417	180	8	24.0	85.0%	32 (17.8%)	130 (72.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.9%)	29.2	318^th of 443 public middle schools	28.2%		28.4	318^th of 439 public middle schools	27.6%					17.3	13.1	6.2			42.0					39.5	52.5	44.4		$9,601	$1,507	$8,071
Dallas County Career Technical Center	Public	7-12	1306 Roosevelt Ave	Selma	36701	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	No	(334) 267-0788																			(n/a)
Bruce K Craig Elementary School	Public	3-5	Building 108 Craig Ind Park	Selma	36701	Dallas County	Dallas County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 875-7937	151	8	18.8	80.8%	3 (2.0%)	140 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.3%)								(n/a)																		$9,288	$2,089	$7,177

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Selma City	2.78 mi	12	123^rd
Lowndes County	17.01 mi	9	125^th
Autauga County	17.58 mi	16	64^th
Breakthrough Charter School	25.19 mi	1
Alabama Youth Services	25.84 mi	6

See the top AL Alabama districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.