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Westhills Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

677^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Westhills Elementary School in Bessemer, AL, serves 277 students from Pre-K through 5th grade in a predominantly low-income area, with about 74% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school is part of the Bessemer City district, which currently ranks near the bottom of Alabama districts.

The most striking thing about Westhills is the contrast between attendance and academics. The school has an excellent chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.5%—far better than the district average of 21.5% and the state average of 12.0%. This means students are showing up to class ready to learn. Yet academic performance is severely low. In math, only 10.2% of 3rd graders, 10.3% of 4th graders, and a stark 2.2% of 5th graders are proficient, compared to state averages of 44.9%, 42.1%, and 39.1%. English scores are also weak, with 4th grade proficiency at just 10.3%. The school's state ranking has plummeted from the 33rd percentile in 2018-2019 to the 1st percentile in 2025-2026, placing it among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Alabama.

What makes this especially concerning is that nearby schools with similar student demographics are achieving much better results. Greenwood Elementary School (4.11 miles away) and Abrams Elementary School (2.61 miles away), both in the same district, rank in the 19th and 18th percentiles respectively. Even more telling, Lipscomb Elementary School in the Jefferson County district serves a similar percentage of low-income students (74%) but ranks in the 55th percentile, with 3rd grade math proficiency at 60.5%. Westhills actually spends more per student ($14,067) than these higher-performing peers, suggesting the issue isn't funding but how resources are used. The good news is that schools in the same area prove better outcomes are possible—Westhills has the potential to improve with the right instructional changes.

277

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,328

Per pupil spending ?

74%

Free/discounted lunch ?

710 Glenn Rd
Bessemer, AL 35022

(205) 432-3500

District: Bessemer City

Students who attend Westhills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bessemer City Middle School
High:	Bessemer City High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.2%

Hispanic:

11.9%

White:

1.4%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Westhills Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (18% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg25%

Alabama avg53%

677^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Bessemer City

133^rd of 140Bessemer City among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	677 of 686	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	640 of 680	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	623 of 684	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	622 of 680	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	628 of 687	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	560 of 692	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	453 of 681	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	507 of 680	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	533 of 688	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.2	556 of 691	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.8	539 of 691	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.5	602 of 695	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	53.1	401 of 696	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	75.1	130 of 696	81.3%	★★★★☆
2011	63.0	285 of 709	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.3	426 of 704	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.2	264 of 696	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.7	226 of 698	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	42.8	455 of 698	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	57.7	295 of 689	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.1	298 of 688	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.7	365 of 623	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	415 of 428	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	377 of 427	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	339 of 420	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	367 of 427	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	380 of 426	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.9	235 of 426	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.6	96 of 426	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	53.9	175 of 423	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	6.2	646 of 651	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.1	637 of 649	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	611 of 650	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	592 of 645	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	583 of 656	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	550 of 656	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.3	363 of 646	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.0	501 of 640	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.4	575 of 639	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	6.4	662 of 667	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	635 of 660	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	618 of 670	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	574 of 623	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	581 of 651	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	463 of 653	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	423 of 649	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	495 of 651	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.7	380 of 567	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	652 of 659	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.1	554 of 651	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	567 of 655	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	575 of 649	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	614 of 669	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.0	496 of 669	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	425 of 650	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.5	458 of 650	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.4	415 of 639	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English28%-36 vs state

Science15%-35 vs state

Mathematics8%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Westhills Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Westhills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	710 Glenn Rd	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3500	277	16	17.3	74.0%	4 (1.4%)	236 (85.2%)	33 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	5.4	677^th of 686 public elementary schools	1.3%		9.8	640^th of 680 public elementary schools	5.9%	37	10.2	10.3	2.2	15.4	34.7	10.3	40.4	$14,328	$3,827	$10,493
Jonesboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	125 Owen Ave	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3400	474	28	16.9	78.1%	10 (2.1%)	304 (64.1%)	153 (32.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	9.5	646^th of 686 public elementary schools	5.8%		15	587^th of 680 public elementary schools	13.7%	59	5.9	10.1	20.0	24.6	30.6	33.3	38.3	$14,576	$4,027	$10,540
Abrams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 23rd Street North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3100	231	14	16.5	79.2%	6 (2.6%)	195 (84.4%)	26 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	19.2	562^nd of 686 public elementary schools	18.1%		14.8	589^th of 680 public elementary schools	13.4%	27	19.4	23.5	30.3	26.5	38.9	39.4	51.5	$13,945	$2,696	$11,242
Empower Community SchoolLower School	Public, Charter	K-3	2410 7th Ave North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Empower Schools of Alabama	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 413-8600	201	11	27.4	71.1%	5 (2.5%)	168 (83.6%)	22 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)								(n/a)	18.5				40.7			$26,423	$5,709	$20,715
Charles F Hard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Arlington Ave	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3300	364	19	19.1	80.8%	3 (0.8%)	316 (86.8%)	27 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.4%)	8.6	655^th of 686 public elementary schools	4.5%		4.6	676^th of 680 public elementary schools	0.6%	21	8.3	14.9	18.0	17.0	21.3	29.8	43.6	$16,904	$5,483	$11,414
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5012 Roselyn Road Southeast	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3201	290	13	22.3	71.7%	11 (3.8%)	160 (55.2%)	111 (38.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	19.7	558^th of 686 public elementary schools	18.7%		13.8	599^th of 680 public elementary schools	11.9%	41	15.4	24.3	23.3	18.9	52.5	35.1	58.1	$15,420	$4,216	$11,197
Hueytown Intermediate School	Public	K-5	1950 Intermediate School Road	Hueytown	35023	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4100	527	27	19.8	67.9%	115 (21.8%)	331 (62.8%)	65 (12.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	19	564^th of 686 public elementary schools	17.8%		25.5	510^th of 680 public elementary schools	25.0%	54	20.3	13.9	21.4	31.1	48.1	36.1	57.9	$13,509	$3,218	$10,275
Brighton School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Brown Cir	Brighton	35020	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-2650	336	17	19.4	82.7%	10 (3.0%)	155 (46.1%)	163 (48.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	18.3	570^th of 686 public elementary schools	16.9%		21.7	531^st of 680 public elementary schools	21.9%	39	14.9	17.8	39.6	22.2	45.8	24.4	50.0	$21,480	$4,956	$10,389
Lipscomb Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5605 10th St S	Lipscomb	35020	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4550	221	13	17.6	73.8%	13 (5.9%)	79 (35.7%)	125 (56.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	37.1	449^th of 686 public elementary schools	34.5%		56.9	306^th of 680 public elementary schools	55.0%	143	56.3	42.1	16.7	29.0	37.5	47.4	70.3	$16,744	$6,599	$10,130
Hueytown Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1921 Primary School Drive	Hueytown	35023	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-4950	601	40	15.1	58.7%	131 (21.8%)	337 (56.1%)	89 (14.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.7%)								(n/a)								$12,916	$4,535	$8,366

Frequently Asked Questions about Westhills Elementary School

Is Westhills Elementary School a good school?

Westhills Elementary School ranks in the bottom 1.3% of Alabama elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Westhills Elementary School?

Students at Westhills Elementary School are 85% African American, 12% Hispanic, 1% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Westhills Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 277 students attended Westhills Elementary School.

What district is Westhills Elementary School in?

Bessemer City

What schools do graduates of Westhills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Westhills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bessemer City Middle School
High : Bessemer City High School

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataNewOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.