Summary
Thompson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Gadsden, Alabama, serving 249 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Gadsden City School District, which is ranked 97 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Thompson Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to the Gadsden City and Alabama state averages in academic subjects like math, science, and English language arts. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 12.77% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in math, compared to 40.84% for Gadsden City and 45.47% for the state. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.8% to 25.6% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, Thompson Elementary has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 83.94% to 89.86% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
When comparing Thompson Elementary to other nearby schools in the Gadsden City district, it consistently underperforms. For instance, Eura Brown Elementary, which is only 5.52 miles away, ranked 31st out of 680 Alabama elementary schools in 2024-2025 and had significantly higher proficiency rates in math, science, and English language arts across all grade levels. Despite spending $11,365 per student in 2018-2019, which is higher than the state average, Thompson Elementary continues to struggle academically, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as school leadership, teacher quality, and instructional practices, may be contributing to the school's poor performance.
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