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Cherokee Elementary School

Q: Is Cherokee Elementary School a good school?

Cherokee Elementary School ranks 258 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

258^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Cherokee Elementary School in Cherokee, AL, is a Pre-K through 6th grade school serving approximately 226 students as part of the Colbert County district. The school has shown remarkable improvement over the past five years, climbing from the 33rd percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 62nd percentile in 2025-2026, and earning a 3-star rating after previously holding just 1 star.

One of the most impressive aspects of Cherokee Elementary is its success with students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite nearly two-thirds of the student body now qualifying for free or reduced lunch (up from 43% to 66% in just one year), the school ranks in the 75th percentile statewide for this subgroup—a 4-star performance that outpaces many schools with more affluent populations. The school has also made dramatic strides in mathematics, with 3rd grade math proficiency jumping from just 20% in 2022-2023 to nearly 65% in 2025-2026, and 5th grade math proficiency reaching 70.59%—far exceeding both Colbert Heights Elementary School (38.46%) and the district average (50.78%). Chronic absenteeism has also plummeted from 29.7% to 12.7%, now below the district average and nearly matching the state rate.

While math is clearly a strength, English Language Arts presents some challenges, particularly in 3rd grade where proficiency (58.82%) trails both district and state averages. Fourth grade science also lags behind at 43.33% proficiency. The school's 6th grade math has improved significantly from a concerning 5.41% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 44.19% in 2024-2025, though this transition year still warrants attention. Compared to New Bethel Elementary School—which ranks in the 93rd-95th percentile with a smaller, less economically diverse population—Cherokee's achievements with a higher-needs student body are arguably more notable from an equity perspective. The school's sustained upward trajectory suggests systemic improvements that are working, making it a promising option for families seeking a school that demonstrates genuine, measurable progress.

226

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,851

Per pupil spending ?

65.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1305 North Pike
Cherokee, AL 35616-7028

(256) 359-6422

District: Colbert County

Students who attend Cherokee Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Cherokee High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.7%

Hispanic:

7.1%

Two or more races:

5.3%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Cherokee Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (59% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 32 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Alabama median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg57%

Alabama avg53%

258^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 32 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Colbert County

70^th of 140Colbert 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	258 of 686	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.2	194 of 680	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	55.8	306 of 684	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.4	416 of 680	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	458 of 687	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.5	501 of 692	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	442 of 681	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	395 of 680	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.4	461 of 688	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.8	484 of 691	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.6	518 of 691	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	51.9	339 of 695	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.5	242 of 696	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.6	232 of 696	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.0	347 of 709	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.4	423 of 704	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.3	441 of 696	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.6	321 of 698	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.9	466 of 698	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	69.5	163 of 689	76.3%	★★★★☆
2005	46.3	408 of 688	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	187 of 651	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	51.8	326 of 649	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.8	338 of 650	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	377 of 645	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.6	474 of 656	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	529 of 656	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.4	331 of 646	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	362 of 640	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.9	467 of 639	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.3	170 of 667	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	139 of 660	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	62.2	251 of 670	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.8	379 of 623	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	440 of 651	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.2	483 of 653	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	403 of 649	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	335 of 651	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.6	388 of 567	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.7	260 of 659	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	79.3	114 of 651	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	61.9	247 of 655	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.2	411 of 649	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	402 of 669	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.9	447 of 669	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	462 of 650	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.5	365 of 650	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.9	406 of 639	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	338 of 403	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	299 of 501	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	270 of 532	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	331 of 535	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.2	439 of 528	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	475 of 540	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	484 of 539	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.4	389 of 529	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	386 of 508	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)61st percentile~ school

White (2026)40th percentile-22 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English65%~ state avg

Mathematics58%+16 vs state

Science43%-7 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Aside from the lack of education, they also treat the school as if it were private. They still practice corporal punishment and are only decent to the children of employees or top donors. Close Quote

Schools Near Cherokee 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cherokee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1305 North Pike	Cherokee	35616	Colbert County	Colbert County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 359-6422	226	15	15.1	65.9%	187 (82.7%)	9 (4.0%)	16 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	62.6	258^th of 686 public elementary schools	62.4%		70.2	194^th of 680 public elementary schools	71.5%	64	64.7	40.0	70.6		43.3	58.8	60.0	76.5		$16,851	$4,231	$12,601
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3000 County Road 200	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 764-2903	713	41	17.2	43.8%	638 (89.5%)	23 (3.2%)	24 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.5%)	51.6	347^th of 686 public elementary schools	49.4%		52	341^st of 680 public elementary schools	49.9%	6	52.6	38.9	37.6	24.5	43.3	62.3	57.8	72.5	58.8	$8,829	$957	$7,826
New Bethel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	900 New Bethel Road	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Colbert County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 383-6471	159	11	15.0	43.4%	148 (93.1%)	2 (1.3%)	5 (3.1%)	2 (1.3%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	91.2	44^th of 686 public elementary schools	93.6%		92.1	37^th of 680 public elementary schools	94.6%	7	72.7	77.8	73.9		88.9	77.3	94.4	82.6		$15,779	$2,626	$13,136
R E Thompson Intermediate School	Public	3-5	829 Frankfort Rd	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Tuscumbia City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 389-2930	360	24	14.9	55.8%	220 (61.1%)	89 (24.7%)	18 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.6%)	63.1	250^th of 686 public elementary schools	63.6%		63.6	241^st of 680 public elementary schools	64.6%	9	46.9	55.5	48.0		50.0	64.0	67.3	71.7		$12,284	$2,599	$9,667
WA Threadgill Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	900 Annapolis Avenue	Sheffield	35660	Colbert County	Sheffield City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 386-5720	344	24	14.6	69.8%	167 (48.5%)	106 (30.8%)	27 (7.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.2%)								(n/a)										$12,790	$2,827	$9,957
L E Willson Elementary School	Public	3-6	2200 31st St	Sheffield	35660	Colbert County	Sheffield City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 386-5730	253	18	14.4	78.3%	116 (45.8%)	85 (33.6%)	20 (7.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.9%)	34.3	463^rd of 686 public elementary schools	32.5%		23.6	516^th of 680 public elementary schools	24.1%	53	30.4	25.8	32.0	41.7	27.3	62.3	43.9	52.0	50.0	$13,688	$4,009	$9,672
G W Trenholm Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	601 Joe Wheeler Hwy	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Tuscumbia City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 389-2940	413	28	14.5	55.9%	247 (59.8%)	115 (27.8%)	14 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.3%)								(n/a)										$10,791	$1,698	$9,077
Hibbett Elementary School	Public	K-6	1601 Appleby Blvd	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2800	489	37	13.3	70.8%	184 (37.6%)	157 (32.1%)	79 (16.2%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.5%)	32.6	474^th of 686 public elementary schools	30.9%					(n/a)	37.5	25.9	22.2	47.6	17.9	53.7	35.7	52.8	57.1	$13,447	$2,541	$10,771
Kilby Laboratory School	Public	PK, KG-6	611 N Pine St	Florence	35632	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 765-4303	187			11.2%	141 (75.4%)	22 (11.8%)	4 (2.1%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.5%)	95.6	17^th of 686 public elementary schools	97.5%		95.3	12^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.2%	5	94.4	80.0	84.2	54.6	90.0	94.4	95.0	89.5	90.9	$10,505	$195	$10,190
Colbert Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1551 Sunset Dr	Tuscumbia	35674	Colbert County	Colbert County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 381-6132	486	32	15.1	56.0%	429 (88.3%)	9 (1.9%)	25 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.7%)	55.6	312^th of 686 public elementary schools	54.5%		50.2	355^th of 680 public elementary schools	47.8%	43	48.2	44.3	38.5		49.2	63.6	50.8	80.0		$12,014	$2,835	$9,160

Frequently Asked Questions about Cherokee Elementary School

How many students attend Cherokee Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 226 students attended Cherokee Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cherokee Elementary School?

Students at Cherokee Elementary School are 83% White, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What district is Cherokee Elementary School in?

Colbert County

What schools do graduates of Cherokee Elementary School attend?

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

High : Cherokee High School

Is Cherokee Elementary School a good school?

Cherokee Elementary School ranks 258^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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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.