High Schools in Lowndes County

Calhoun High School and Central High School are the two high schools serving grades 9-12 in the Lowndes County school district in rural Alabama, a district that ranks in the bottom 10% of the state. Both schools are small, with enrollments of 186 and 175 students respectively, and face severe academic challenges, with proficiency rates in math, science, and English running 5 to 15 times below state averages. In the most recent school year, Central High School recorded a 0% proficiency rate in science, meaning no tested student met the standard, while Calhoun’s math proficiency was just 2.56% compared to the state’s 27.21%.

Comparing the two schools, Calhoun High School is the stronger performer overall. It has a higher graduation rate (86.3% vs. 80.4%), lower chronic absenteeism (21.7% vs. 24.8%), and a better state ranking (370th vs. 376th out of 380). Calhoun also showed improvement in math and science scores year-over-year, though its English scores dropped significantly. Central High School spends more per student ($15,465 vs. $14,855) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (12.5:1 vs. 15.5:1), yet it underperforms Calhoun on most metrics and saw its science scores collapse from 7.69% to 0% in one year. This suggests that additional resources and smaller class sizes are not translating into better outcomes.

Both schools face systemic challenges that go beyond academics. Chronic absenteeism is nearly double the state average (21.7% and 24.8% vs. 12.0%), and 79-89% of students receive free or reduced lunch, indicating high poverty concentration. The volatile year-to-year test scores, driven by very small student cohorts, mean a single strong or weak class can dramatically shift results. Despite low test proficiency, Calhoun’s graduation rate approaches the state average, suggesting a possible disconnect between promotion standards and demonstrated mastery. For parents, this data points to two schools with similar challenges, where Calhoun offers slightly better outcomes, but both require urgent, comprehensive intervention to address attendance, instructional quality, and the broader socioeconomic barriers facing students.