Gadsden City

The Gadsden City school district in Alabama serves approximately 4,540 students across 12 schools—8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 1 high school—and overall ranks in the 35th percentile statewide, though individual school performance varies dramatically from the 6th to the 96th percentile.

For parents, the standout school is Eura Brown Elementary School, which ranks in the 96th percentile with a 5-star rating and achieves extraordinary results—100% proficiency in 3rd grade English and 84.78% in 3rd grade math, nearly double the state average. Mitchell Elementary School is the next strongest performer (72nd percentile), showing particular strength in English, while Donehoo Elementary School made the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 49th to 65th percentile in one year. At the other end, Floyd Elementary School (6th percentile), Adams Elementary School (8th percentile), and Thompson Elementary School (9th percentile) rank in the bottom 10% of Alabama elementary schools, with Thompson showing a concerning downward trend from the 25th percentile. Among middle schools, Gadsden Middle School leads with 7th grade math proficiency (40.43%) dramatically exceeding district and state averages, while Litchfield Middle School (16th percentile) struggles most.

Key takeaways for families: chronic absenteeism is a critical challenge—the district rate (13.9%) exceeds the state average, with Thompson at 27.8% versus Eura Brown's remarkable 3.3%. Gadsden City High School lags the state in graduation rate (83.3% vs. 91.5%) and all test subjects, with a 20.7% chronic absenteeism rate. Notably, per-student spending does not correlate with outcomes—Litchfield spends the most ($14,976) yet performs poorly, while Mitchell spends the least ($8,237) and excels. English proficiency is a relative strength across most schools, while math instruction may need additional support. The district essentially represents two educational experiences: schools like Eura Brown, Mitchell, and Donehoo demonstrate strong performance with lower poverty rates, while high-poverty schools like Adams, Floyd, and Thompson face significant challenges—though Donehoo and Walnut Park Elementary School prove improvement is achievable.