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McDonnell Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

645^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 680 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

McDonnell Elementary School is a public elementary school in Huntsville, Alabama, serving 445 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Huntsville City School District, which is ranked 79 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While McDonnell Elementary has a high percentage of students from low-income families, with 83-88% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school consistently underperforms compared to the Huntsville City and Alabama state averages in standardized test scores. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 20.69% of 3rd-grade students at McDonnell were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 39.35% for Huntsville City and 45.47% for the state. Additionally, McDonnell has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 13.3% to 18.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing McDonnell to other nearby schools in the Huntsville City district, it becomes clear that the school is one of the lower-performing ones. For instance, Weatherly Heights Elementary and Jones Valley Elementary consistently outperform McDonnell in academic measures, with significantly higher proficiency rates in Mathematics and English Language Arts. Despite the challenges, the school's per-student spending of $9,416 in 2018-2019 was lower than some of the higher-performing nearby schools, such as Montview Elementary ($13,217) and Highlands Elementary ($10,057).

511

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,416

Per pupil spending ?

66.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4010 Binderton Pl
Huntsville, AL 35805

(256) 428-7280

District: Huntsville City

Students who attend McDonnell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Whitesburg Middle School
High:	Virgil Grissom High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.8%

African American:

24.5%

White:

10.0%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare McDonnell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (21% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg47%

Alabama avg52%

645^th of 680

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd of 24Elementary Schools in the Huntsville City

79^th of 135Huntsville 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
2025	9.0	645 of 680	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	640 of 684	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	579 of 680	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	601 of 687	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	561 of 692	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.1	562 of 681	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	527 of 680	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.8	590 of 688	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.3	598 of 691	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.9	533 of 691	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.1	512 of 695	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.5	622 of 696	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.7	603 of 696	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.5	655 of 709	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	7.5	683 of 704	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.9	685 of 696	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	17.3	652 of 698	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.9	688 of 698	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	21.7	611 of 689	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	14.3	647 of 688	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	25.6	503 of 623	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	420 of 427	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	401 of 420	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	378 of 427	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	305 of 426	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	309 of 426	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.8	299 of 426	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.4	101 of 423	76.1%	★★★★☆
2017	25.3	282 of 336	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	125 of 142	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	122 of 131	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	96 of 123	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	98 of 110	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.9	67 of 100	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.3	66 of 74	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.2	44 of 65	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.4	9 of 25	64.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	630 of 649	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	602 of 650	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	562 of 645	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	596 of 656	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	555 of 656	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	587 of 646	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	536 of 640	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.1	607 of 639	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	192 of 206	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	184 of 196	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	151 of 184	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	149 of 175	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	133 of 164	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	114 of 152	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.9	103 of 140	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.1	110 of 130	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	611 of 660	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	602 of 670	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	511 of 623	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	579 of 651	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	520 of 653	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.2	542 of 649	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.2	471 of 651	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.7	473 of 567	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	598 of 651	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	602 of 655	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	543 of 649	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	541 of 669	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	523 of 669	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	487 of 650	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	467 of 650	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.8	503 of 639	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2024	7.9	79 of 82	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	333 of 403	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	366 of 395	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	333 of 373	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.7	225 of 392	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	171 of 344	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	15.0	260 of 280	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	4.3	524 of 532	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.2	527 of 535	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	518 of 528	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.9	532 of 540	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	528 of 539	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	515 of 529	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	460 of 508	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)17th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)12th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2024)4th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English31%-33 vs state

Mathematics14%-28 vs state

Science12%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near McDonnell Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)				Summative Assessment Science (2025)	Summative Assessment English (2025)				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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
McDonnell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4010 Binderton Pl	Huntsville	35805	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7280	511	27	18.9	66.5%	51 (10.0%)	125 (24.5%)	316 (61.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	12 (2.3%)	9	645^th of 680 public elementary schools	5.1%		10.2	640^th of 684 public elementary schools	6.4%	5	20.7	17.8	4.3		12.3	24.0	22.6	47.5		$9,416	$2,190	$7,225
Ridgecrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3505 Cerro Vista Street SW	Huntsville	35805	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7380	463	30	15.4	69.8%	47 (10.2%)	127 (27.4%)	265 (57.2%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.5%)	18.6	557^th of 680 public elementary schools	18.1%		15.9	577^th of 684 public elementary schools	15.6%	20	37.8	21.3	10.8		18.0		34.5			$9,463	$2,004	$7,457
Morris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4801 Bob Wallace Ave SW	Huntsville	35805	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7340	532	30	18.0	71.2%	53 (10.0%)	263 (49.4%)	172 (32.3%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.6%)	12.2	619^th of 680 public elementary schools	9.0%		12.7	603^rd of 684 public elementary schools	11.8%	16	29.2	15.4	6.0		12.8	41.1	33.3	45.5		$8,314	$1,925	$6,388
Whitesburg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6810 Whitesburg Drive SE	Huntsville	35802	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7520	379	24	15.7	52.0%	117 (30.9%)	193 (50.9%)	33 (8.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	33 (8.7%)	41.3	415^th of 680 public elementary schools	39.0%		42.6	416^th of 684 public elementary schools	39.2%	1	36.0	32.1	30.0		41.5	61.2	53.9	61.2
Sonnie Hereford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2755 Wilson Drive	Huntsville	35816	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7440	578	31	18.6	79.4%	36 (6.2%)	356 (61.6%)	120 (20.8%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	58 (10.0%)	10.9	630^th of 680 public elementary schools	7.4%		15.1	582^nd of 684 public elementary schools	14.9%	48	17.1	10.8	17.7	13.8	7.3	33.3	22.2	51.4	28.8	$9,093	$1,716	$7,376
Roger B Chaffee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7900 Whittier Road SW	Huntsville	35802	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7040	396	25	16.0	46.0%	179 (45.2%)	66 (16.7%)	123 (31.1%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	53.6	328^th of 680 public elementary schools	51.8%		44	399^th of 684 public elementary schools	41.7%	71	50.0	40.8	38.4		38.8	71.4	51.0	68.5		$9,722	$1,340	$8,380
Jones Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4908 Garth Rd SE	Huntsville	35802	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7220	471	27	17.3	26.8%	273 (58.0%)	111 (23.6%)	48 (10.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.4%)	81.6	101^st of 680 public elementary schools	85.1%		78	138^th of 684 public elementary schools	79.8%	37	55.2	74.2	48.5	51.2	75.8	64.9	84.9	88.2	72.1	$9,469	$884	$8,583
Blossomwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1321 Woodmont Avenue	Huntsville	35801	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7020	596	38	15.8	50.5%	247 (41.4%)	262 (44.0%)	30 (5.0%)	6 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (8.2%)	53.1	331^st of 680 public elementary schools	51.3%		57.2	292^nd of 684 public elementary schools	57.3%	39	37.7	37.8	42.4	32.1	46.0	67.4	55.6	68.2	59.6	$8,149	$907	$7,241
Montview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Garvin Rd NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7320	213	13	16.5	74.2%	7 (3.3%)	142 (66.7%)	41 (19.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (9.9%)	18	560^th of 680 public elementary schools	17.6%		11.9	618^th of 684 public elementary schools	9.6%	58	26.9	16.1	13.9		16.1	65.4	33.3	35.1		$13,217	$3,064	$10,152
Highlands Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2500 Barney Terrace NW	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7200	370	22	17.0	72.2%	16 (4.3%)	261 (70.5%)	65 (17.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.9%)	14.5	592^nd of 680 public elementary schools	12.9%		20.2	548^th of 684 public elementary schools	19.9%	44	14.5	24.4	4.6	15.9	17.8	41.0	46.7	40.0	33.3	$10,057	$2,041	$8,016

Frequently Asked Questions about McDonnell Elementary School

How many students attend McDonnell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 511 students attended McDonnell Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of McDonnell Elementary School?

Students at McDonnell Elementary School are 62% Hispanic, 24% African American, 10% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is McDonnell Elementary School in?

Huntsville City

Is McDonnell Elementary School a good school?

McDonnell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.1% of Alabama elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of McDonnell Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Whitesburg Middle School
High : Virgil Grissom High School

Rate McDonnell Elementary School!

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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.