Greene County High School

Greene County High School in Eutaw, AL, is a small rural school serving 250 students in grades 9-12 within the Greene County district, where over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most pressing concern for parents is the school's academic performance, which has hit crisis levels. On the most recent 11th-grade state assessments, only 1.54% of students were proficient in math, 3.08% in science, and 3.23% in English—figures that are 10 to 17 times lower than state averages. The school's overall ranking has plummeted to the 1st percentile in Alabama, a dramatic reversal from the previous year when it briefly jumped to the 34th percentile. This volatility suggests outcomes are highly sensitive to each year's student cohort. Additionally, the graduation rate has fallen to 76.1%, well below the state average of 91.5%. Male students are facing the steepest challenges, with their subgroup ranking now in the bottom 1% of all high schools in the state.

A major factor driving these struggles appears to be chronic absenteeism, which has exploded to 41.6%—more than triple the state average of 12%. This means over 4 in 10 students are missing enough school to make consistent academic progress nearly impossible. The school does spend relatively generously per student ($14,514) and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.5:1, yet outcomes remain among the lowest in the state. This suggests the core issues are not about funding or class size, but rather about student engagement, attendance, and the deep impacts of poverty. For parents considering this school, the data points to a system in urgent need of intervention, particularly around getting students to school consistently and rebuilding the instructional foundation. There are no other schools within 20 miles, making this the sole high school option for families in the area.