Summary:
The three elementary schools in Alabama’s Pike County district—Pike County Elementary School, Goshen Elementary School, and Banks School—serve a combined 1,284 students in a rural area, with all schools covering grades PK-6 (Banks extends through 8th grade) and each enrolling between 384 and 454 students.
If you’re choosing a school in this district, Banks School is the clear standout. It has climbed from the 59th to the 81st percentile in state rankings over two years, now earning 4 stars. Banks beats both district and state averages in English at every grade level—for example, 90.63% of 5th graders are proficient—and its 4th grade science proficiency (75.68%) is 25 points above the state average. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (8.6%) in the district, well below the state’s 12.0%. In contrast, Goshen Elementary School is struggling, sitting in the bottom third of Alabama schools with a flat ranking over three years. Its 5th grade math proficiency is just 8%, a dramatic drop from the prior year and far below the district’s 37.01% average. Pike County Elementary School falls in the middle, ranking in the 54th percentile, but shows a puzzling “4th grade slump”—math proficiency falls from 58.7% in 3rd grade to just 23.33% in 4th grade.
Notably, Banks School achieves its strong results despite having a similar poverty rate (65.1% free/reduced lunch) to Goshen (66.59%), suggesting its success isn’t tied to demographics. Meanwhile, Pike County Elementary serves the highest-need population (79.74% free/reduced lunch) and has the highest chronic absenteeism (17.0%). Across all three schools, upper-grade math proficiency declines district-wide, dropping from 53.24% in 3rd grade to 32.06% in 6th grade. For parents, Banks School offers the strongest academics and attendance, while Goshen needs urgent math intervention and Pike County Elementary shows promise in early grades but loses momentum later.
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