Summary:
The Lawrence County school district in Alabama is home to six elementary schools serving grades PK-4 or PK-6, with a total enrollment ranging from just over 100 students at the smallest school to nearly 700 at the largest, all located within a largely rural area.
For parents, the standout school in the district is Hatton Elementary School, which ranks highest statewide (57th percentile) and leads the district in 3rd-grade math (62% proficiency) and English (74% proficiency). Mount Hope, despite being the smallest school with just 117 students, is another strong performer, posting the district's best 3rd-grade English score (86.67%) and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (0.8%). On the other end, Hazlewood Elementary School is the district's biggest concern, ranking in the 16th percentile with the highest poverty rate (85% free/reduced lunch) and struggling across nearly all subjects. Moulton Elementary School is the largest school (695 students) but has seen its ranking decline over the past two years, while East Lawrence Elementary School also shows a downward trend and has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 17.8%. Speake remains stable in the middle of the pack.
District-wide, the biggest academic challenge is mathematics, where all schools fall 10-13 percentage points below state averages in every grade level. English proficiency is much closer to state norms, especially in 3rd grade where the district essentially ties the state average. Interestingly, Speake spends the most per student ($11,770) yet doesn't outperform Hatton, which spends the least ($8,716), suggesting that how funds are used matters more than the total amount. Science is a hidden strength, with Speake and Mount Hope exceeding state averages in 4th-grade science. Parents should also note that year-to-year rankings fluctuate dramatically, particularly in smaller schools, which often reflects differences between individual student cohorts rather than systemic changes.
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