Elementary Schools in Ozark City

The two elementary schools in Ozark City, Alabama, serve a combined 877 students across pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a high-poverty area where over 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Joseph W Lisenby Primary School handles the earliest grades (PK-2) with 494 students, while Harry N Mixon Intermediate School serves grades 1-6 with 383 students. The district itself ranks in the 29th percentile statewide, earning a 2-star rating.

Each school has distinct strengths. Lisenby Primary stands out for its low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.4%, better than both the district (11.1%) and state (12.0%) averages, suggesting strong early engagement. It also posted its best historical ranking in 2012-2013, reaching 183rd out of 696 schools with a 4-star rating. Mixon Intermediate is the only school with test score data, showing relative strength in English Language Arts, where 5th graders achieved 66.67% proficiency in both recent years, nearly matching the state average. Mixon's 3rd graders also outperformed the state in math, scoring 49.22% proficiency versus the state's 44.89%.

However, concerning trends emerge. Math proficiency at Mixon declines sharply as students advance, dropping from 49.22% in 3rd grade to just 35.77% by 5th grade. Science is the most significant weakness, with 4th graders scoring 39.67% proficiency—more than 10 points below the state average of 50.23%. Operationally, Lisenby has larger class sizes (17:1 student-teacher ratio) despite spending slightly more per student ($9,925 vs. $9,386 at Mixon). Both schools maintain better attendance than the state average, but the district's overall academic performance remains a challenge, particularly in closing the gap with state averages in English and science.