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JB Pennington High School

Q: Is JB Pennington High School a good school?

JB Pennington High School ranks 258 th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

258^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 386 Alabama High Schools

Better than 33% of Alabama high schools

Summary

JB Pennington High School in Blountsville, AL, is a public school serving 507 students in grades 7-12 within the Blount County district, a rural area where 55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most striking thing about JB Pennington is its dramatic year-to-year swings in academic performance. The school has alternated between high rankings (83rd-85th percentile, earning 4 stars) and low rankings (32nd-42nd percentile, 2 stars) almost every other year over the past five years. The most recent data shows a broad decline across nearly all student groups, with 11th-grade proficiency rates at just 16.18% in Math, 26.47% in Science, and 19.7% in English. This puts the school well behind nearby peers like Locust Fork High School (35% Math proficiency) and Cleveland High School (34% Math proficiency), both of which serve similar rural populations in the same district. Even Holly Pond High School, just 6.5 miles away, outperforms JB Pennington in English (35.71% vs. 19.7%). The school also spends the least per student ($9,129) among nearby schools and has a higher student-teacher ratio (19.8) than most comparison schools.

There are genuine bright spots worth noting. JB Pennington's chronic absenteeism rate is just 4.0%—far better than the state average of 12.0% and better than several nearby schools like Holly Pond (16.7%) and Hanceville (15.7%). The graduation rate has also recovered impressively, jumping from 75.5% in 2022-2023 to 93.2% in 2024-2025, now exceeding the state average. The school's inconsistent performance across grade levels and subjects suggests a heavy reliance on specific student cohorts rather than stable instructional systems. However, with strong attendance and a demonstrated ability to improve graduation rates, the school has a solid foundation to build upon—the key challenge is ensuring consistent learning gains in Math and English, particularly at the high school level.

507

Students ?

19.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,129

Per pupil spending ?

55%

Free/discounted lunch ?

81 College St
Blountsville, AL 35031

(205) 775-2050

District: Blount County

Feeder schools for JB Pennington High School:

Elementary:

Blountsville Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.4%

Hispanic:

24.7%

Two or more races:

0.8%

See top rated Alabama high schools

Compare JB Pennington High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (27% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg39%

Alabama avg39%

Middle school

318^th of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 35 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

258^th of 386

Alabama public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Blount County

44^th of 140Blount County 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	318 of 449	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.7	327 of 439	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	335 of 442	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	337 of 437	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	328 of 432	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.4	163 of 440	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	228 of 437	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	222 of 423	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	60.5	146 of 432	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.7	153 of 432	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	36.3	281 of 430	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.3	294 of 438	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.6	249 of 436	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.1	168 of 436	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	35.4	309 of 435	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.8	310 of 435	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	46.5	248 of 425	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.4	241 of 417	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	39.5	271 of 412	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.2	292 of 409	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	39.5	275 of 415	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.8	181 of 407	55.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	17.0	90 of 94	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	77 of 81	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	311 of 427	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.2	300 of 415	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	310 of 426	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	320 of 417	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	337 of 423	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.5	158 of 415	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.7	257 of 399	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	271 of 392	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	52.5	177 of 380	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	25 of 82	69.5%	★★★★☆
2025	43.8	86 of 173	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	20.1	138 of 164	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	92 of 166	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	94 of 157	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.7	62 of 154	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.5	74 of 124	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	70 of 113	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.4	50 of 108	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	303 of 438	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.7	315 of 428	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	348 of 437	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	333 of 410	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	294 of 421	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.9	108 of 415	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	169 of 396	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	177 of 396	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.9	132 of 349	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	30.2	294 of 426	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.9	328 of 422	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	334 of 428	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	316 of 419	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	311 of 427	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.5	153 of 418	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.2	176 of 399	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	151 of 397	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.7	107 of 380	71.8%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	70.4	15 of 61	75.4%	★★★★☆
2022	47.1	32 of 65	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.2	17 of 56	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	42.9	24 of 44	45.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	241 of 269	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.1	251 of 271	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	165 of 281	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.7	90 of 281	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.1	234 of 256	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	218 of 254	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	334 of 359	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.9	337 of 377	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	338 of 373	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	349 of 370	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	349 of 376	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	43.2	191 of 369	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	253 of 343	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	241 of 331	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	47.5	101 of 247	59.1%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.6	258 of 386	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.3	225 of 374	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	76.0	66 of 378	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	37.4	217 of 371	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	80.9	56 of 367	84.7%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	125 of 371	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.0	146 of 366	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.3	96 of 356	73.0%	★★★★☆
2017	39.3	204 of 353	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.0	240 of 351	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.7	141 of 353	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	44.4	202 of 358	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.9	130 of 358	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	76.2	48 of 358	86.6%	★★★★☆
2011	55.6	176 of 360	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	74.2	60 of 358	83.2%	★★★★☆
2009	59.4	140 of 357	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.5	207 of 359	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	52.5	193 of 358	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	65.2	101 of 357	71.7%	★★★★☆
2005	35.1	287 of 359	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	42.9	236 of 357	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	167 of 377	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	16.6	303 of 359	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	73.6	76 of 366	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	35.5	212 of 358	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	75.9	72 of 367	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	72.7	79 of 359	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	170 of 354	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.3	80 of 347	76.9%	★★★★☆
2017	44.5	170 of 343	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	89 of 142	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	89.5	13 of 139	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	29.5	84 of 122	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.6	26 of 114	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	34.8	69 of 113	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.7	70 of 95	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.9	87 of 93	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	259 of 383	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.3	201 of 367	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	83.9	35 of 375	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	40.1	191 of 349	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	97.1	13 of 361	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	59.0	126 of 361	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	172 of 358	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	94 of 349	73.1%	★★★★☆
2017	33.4	205 of 315	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	294 of 380	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.1	121 of 363	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.8	67 of 368	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	37.1	215 of 358	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	81.4	56 of 366	84.7%	★★★★☆
2021	44.0	190 of 366	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.1	115 of 357	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.7	125 of 350	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	31.4	234 of 339	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	36 of 57	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	88.7	6 of 55	89.1%	★★★★★
2023	28.5	32 of 45	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.0	37 of 40	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	108 of 197	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	82.7	20 of 196	89.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	284 of 320	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	237 of 325	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.3	113 of 325	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.5	216 of 317	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.7	80 of 326	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	53.3	126 of 319	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.0	164 of 313	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.3	92 of 300	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	27.6	164 of 230	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Native American (2023)75th percentile+53 vs school

Hispanic (2026)70th percentile+40 vs school

Male (2026)31st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile~ school

Female (2026)27th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)10th percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)7th percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)4th percentile-19 vs school

High school

Female (2026)56th percentile+23 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2025)37th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English38%-11 vs state

Science33%-12 vs state

Mathematics12%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near JB Pennington High 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 (2019)
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 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
JB Pennington High School	Public	7-12	81 College St	Blountsville	35031	Blount County	Blount County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 775-2050	507	26	19.8	55.0%	372 (73.4%)	3 (0.6%)	125 (24.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	33.6	258^th of 386 public high schools	33.2%		35.3	225^th of 374 public high schools	39.8%	33	12.0	7.1	16.2	40.5	26.5	44.0	50.0	19.7	$9,129	$825	$8,280
Cleveland High School	Public	7-12	71 High School St	Cleveland	35049	Blount County	Blount County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 775-2030	389	20	19.0	46.5%	298 (76.6%)	3 (0.8%)	81 (20.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	77.6	70^th of 386 public high schools	81.9%		78.6	68^th of 374 public high schools	81.8%	2	33.9	15.5	34.0	70.4	44.7	70.8	71.8	40.4	$11,225	$1,771	$9,343
Holly Pond High School	Public	9-12	160 New Hope Road	Holly Pond	35083	Cullman County	Cullman County	No	No	No	No	(256) 796-5169	278	18	15.8	47.8%	229 (82.4%)	3 (1.1%)	35 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	70.7	96^th of 386 public high schools	75.1%		78.6	67^th of 374 public high schools	82.1%	29			26.8		47.9			35.7	$12,736	$1,884	$10,824
Blount County Career Technical Center	Public	10-12	61500 US Highway 231	Cleveland	35049	Blount County	Blount County	No	No	No	No	(205) 775-2080																			(n/a)
Susan Moore High School	Public	7-12	4040 Susan Moore Rd	Blountsville	35031	Blount County	Blount County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 775-2060	440	25	17.8	64.1%	241 (54.8%)	3 (0.7%)	187 (42.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	49.1	181^st of 386 public high schools	53.1%		24.1	274^th of 374 public high schools	26.7%	93	6.1	10.0	20.3	44.3	42.0	43.9	51.4	19.4	$8,601	$942	$7,632
Hanceville High School	Public	9-12	801 Commercial St	Hanceville	35077	Cullman County	Cullman County	No	No	No	No	(256) 352-6111	363	19	18.9	53.4%	267 (73.6%)	17 (4.7%)	51 (14.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.6%)	56	148^th of 386 public high schools	61.7%		52.4	166^th of 374 public high schools	55.6%	18			29.2		29.2			31.8	$11,662	$2,641	$8,965
Fast Track	Public	9-12	801 Main Street NW	Hanceville	35077	Cullman County	Cullman County	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(256) 352-7862	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Oneonta High School	Public	9-12	27605 State Hwy 75	Oneonta	35121	Blount County	Oneonta City	No	No	No	No	(205) 545-5913	401	26	15.6	39.7%	234 (58.4%)	19 (4.7%)	126 (31.4%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.7%)	83.1	53^rd of 386 public high schools	86.3%		77.4	78^th of 374 public high schools	79.1%	25			33.3		56.6			42.1	$9,526	$833	$8,658
Locust Fork High School	Public	7-12	77 School Rd	Locust Fork	35097	Blount County	Blount County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 681-7846	417	18	23.2	46.5%	368 (88.2%)	9 (2.2%)	37 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	75.9	79^th of 386 public high schools	79.5%		55	154^th of 374 public high schools	58.8%	75	21.5	32.1	35.0	50.0	46.7	55.4	57.7	35.6	$10,794	$1,631	$9,124
Fairview High School	Public	9-12	841 Welcome Rd	Cullman	35058	Cullman County	Cullman County	No	No	No	No	(256) 796-5106	512	26	19.9	48.2%	381 (74.4%)	2 (0.4%)	113 (22.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.7%)	43.8	205^th of 386 public high schools	46.9%		41	206^th of 374 public high schools	44.9%	1			19.3		30.0			26.0	$11,313	$1,945	$9,339

Frequently Asked Questions about JB Pennington High School

What is the racial makeup of JB Pennington High School?

Students at JB Pennington High School are 73% White, 25% Hispanic.

What district is JB Pennington High School in?

Blount County

Is JB Pennington High School a good school?

JB Pennington High School ranks 258^th of 386 Alabama high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into JB Pennington High School?

JB Pennington High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blountsville Elementary School

How many students attend JB Pennington High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 507 students attended JB Pennington High School.

Rate JB Pennington High School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.