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Florence City

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Alabama rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

46^thof 139 Alabama districts▼ 14

Better than 66% of Alabama districts

Elementary 5 Middle 1 High 2Grades PK, KG-12

102 S Court Street
Florence, AL 35630-6024·(256) 768-3000·All Alabama district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 66.9% of districts

Schools

4,574

Students

5-star school

Top rankedKilby Laboratory School17^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Weeden Elementary School up 49 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Harlan Elementary School 11.7 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Hibbett Elementary School

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

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

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

Summary:

The Florence City school district in Alabama serves approximately 4,574 students across 8 schools, including elementary, middle, high, and alternative education levels, and holds a 3-star rating overall. This is a district of stark contrasts, where an elite university-affiliated school sits alongside high-poverty elementary schools facing significant academic challenges.

At the top, Kilby Laboratory School is a standout, ranking #17 in the state with a 5-star rating and exceptional test scores—boasting 94% proficiency in 3rd-grade math and a perfect 100% in 3rd-grade English. It has the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.2%) and the lowest poverty rate (11.23% free/reduced lunch). Forest Hills School is the district's consistent performer, ranking #132 with a 4-star rating, strong English scores (81% in 5th grade), and the second-lowest absenteeism. In contrast, Hibbett Elementary School struggles significantly, ranking in the 31st percentile with only 22% math proficiency in 5th grade and a 70.76% poverty rate. Harlan Elementary School and Weeden Elementary School also face challenges, with high poverty rates (over 84%) and proficiency scores below state averages.

Key takeaways for parents include a clear achievement gap tied to poverty, with a 73-point gap in 3rd-grade math between Kilby and Harlan. Florence High School maintains a strong 96% graduation rate despite a high 25.9% chronic absenteeism rate. The district shows a notable weakness in science proficiency across all schools, and Florence Middle School shows a significant drop-off in performance from elementary levels. Interestingly, per-student spending does not predict success—Weeden spends the most ($14,455) but ranks in the bottom half, while Kilby spends near the least yet achieves top-20 status. The Florence Freshman Center, an alternative school for 9th graders, appears to be an effective model, matching the high school's 96% graduation rate.

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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 (2025)	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
Florence High School	Public	10-12	1201 Bradshaw Dr	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-2200	1,101	63	17.5	49.8%	503 (45.7%)	295 (26.8%)	181 (16.4%)	19 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	101 (9.2%)	72.1	93^rd of 380 public high schools	75.5%		81.9	55^th of 374 public high schools	85.3%	38							34.8			37.1							39.9	$13,080	$938	$12,044
Florence Freshman Center	Public	9	1203 Bradshaw Drive	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-2400	325	20	16.4	55.1%	148 (45.5%)	84 (25.8%)	45 (13.8%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (13.2%)								(n/a)																		$9,746	$236	$9,487
Forest Hills Elementary School	Public	K-6	101 Stovall Dr	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2500	906	63	14.3	46.6%	596 (65.8%)	151 (16.7%)	56 (6.2%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (10.9%)	78.1	132^nd of 686 public elementary schools	80.8%		80.4	116^th of 680 public elementary schools	82.9%	16	63.2	52.9	63.4	48.1				55.8			79.0	68.8	81.3	71.5				$10,545	$1,336	$9,186
Harlan Elementary School	Public	K-6	2233 McBurney Dr	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2700	426	36	11.7	84.7%	120 (28.2%)	196 (46.0%)	19 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (20.7%)	45	397^th of 686 public elementary schools	42.1%		45.2	390^th of 680 public elementary schools	42.6%	7	32.4	20.0	44.8	62.2				32.9			52.1	55.3	65.7	57.8				$13,932	$2,610	$11,298
Weeden Elementary School	Public	K-6	400 Baldwin St	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2900	477	32	15.1	84.3%	96 (20.1%)	144 (30.2%)	190 (39.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.4%)	56.3	302^nd of 686 public elementary schools	56.0%		50.6	351^st of 680 public elementary schools	48.4%	49	62.0	46.3	46.0	50.8				27.9			61.1	55.9	61.3	63.6				$14,455	$2,668	$11,763
Florence Middle School	Public	7-8	648 North Cherry	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-3100	663	38	17.2	55.7%	265 (40.0%)	210 (31.7%)	102 (15.4%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (11.8%)	56.3	180^th of 443 public middle schools	59.4%		60.6	148^th of 439 public middle schools	66.3%	32					28.3	26.7			52.9						55.7	52.2		$12,862	$962	$11,877
Florence Learning Center	Public	6-12	610 W College St	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 768-3022																			(n/a)
Hibbett Elementary School	Public	K-6	1601 Appleby Blvd	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2800	489	37	13.3	70.8%	184 (37.6%)	157 (32.1%)	79 (16.2%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.5%)	32.5	475^th of 686 public elementary schools	30.8%					(n/a)	37.5	25.9	22.2	47.6				17.9			53.7	35.7	52.8	57.1				$9,663	$1,495	$8,145
Kilby Laboratory School	Public	PK, KG-6	611 N Pine St	Florence	35632	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 765-4303	187			11.2%	141 (75.4%)	22 (11.8%)	4 (2.1%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.5%)	95.6	17^th of 686 public elementary schools	97.5%		95.3	12^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.2%	5	94.4	80.0	84.2	54.6				90.0			94.4	95.0	89.5	90.9

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lauderdale County	3.22 mi	15	55^th
Sheffield City	4.46 mi	4	103^rd
Muscle Shoals City	5.87 mi	7
Tuscumbia City	6.89 mi	6	59^th
Colbert County	11.48 mi	9	72^nd

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.