Summary:
Roanoke City is a small, unified school district in Alabama serving approximately 1,355 students across three schools—Knight Enloe Elementary School (PK-3), Handley Middle School (4-8), and Handley High School (9-12)—with a predominantly low-income student population and a district-wide 2-star rating.
The clear standout is Handley High School, which posts a remarkable 98.1% graduation rate—nearly 7 points above the state average—and ranks in the 63rd percentile of Alabama high schools. It also has the district's best student-teacher ratio (13.3:1) and lowest chronic absenteeism among secondary schools (8.7%). In contrast, Handley Middle School is the area of concern: it ranks in the 46th percentile, has the highest poverty concentration (69.15% free/reduced lunch), the highest student-teacher ratio (17.5:1), and shows a declining rank trajectory. Knight Enloe Elementary School shines in early literacy, with 75.28% of 3rd graders proficient in English—10.5 points above the state—but struggles with chronic absenteeism at 14.8%, the highest in the district.
Academically, the district shows a dramatic "3rd grade cliff": proficiency in English drops 21.6 points between 3rd and 4th grade, suggesting a difficult transition to middle school. The 7th grade is a bright spot, exceeding state averages in both math (+6.31) and English (+7.39), while 8th-grade math is a crisis point at just 14.89% proficiency. Interestingly, Handley High School outperforms its feeder pattern, with 11th graders exceeding state averages in English and math despite coming from a struggling middle school. The district also shows significant year-over-year volatility, and Handley Middle School receives the least per-student funding ($8,210) despite serving the highest-need population—an inverse relationship that may contribute to its challenges.
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