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Challenger Elementary School

Q: Is Challenger Elementary School a good school?

Challenger Elementary School ranks 253 rd of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

253^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Challenger Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Huntsville, AL, serving 491 students within the Huntsville City district, and currently holds a 3-star rating (63rd percentile statewide) for the 2025-2026 school year.

Challenger's standout strength is its exceptional support for Special Education students, who rank in the 82nd percentile statewide (4 stars)—a remarkable achievement that has improved dramatically over the past two years. The school also excels in English Language Arts, consistently beating both district and state averages across all grade levels, with 3rd grade proficiency at 70% versus 64.75% statewide. Multi-racial students also perform exceptionally well, ranking in the 85th percentile. The school is clearly on an upward trajectory, recovering from a low point in 2023-2024 (49th percentile) and showing steady improvement since. Chronic absenteeism has also improved significantly, dropping from 15.1% to 11.6%, now below the state average.

However, there are areas where Challenger lags behind its neighbors. Math proficiency remains a challenge, averaging just 43.2% across grades 3-5 compared to 70.7% in English—a 27.5-point gap. The school also struggles with economically disadvantaged students, who rank in just the 31st percentile. When compared to nearby schools, Challenger sits in the middle of a high-performing cluster: Mountain Gap Elementary (just one mile away) and Hampton Cove Elementary both earn 5 stars, while Weatherly Heights Elementary earns 4 stars. However, Challenger outperforms Whitesburg Elementary (2 stars) and Roger B Chaffee Elementary (3 stars). Notably, Challenger's chronic absenteeism rate of 11.6% is much higher than nearby schools like Weatherly Heights (1.7%) and Whitesburg (1.5%), an area worth watching. For parents, Challenger offers strong literacy instruction and excellent special education support, with clear opportunities for growth in math and attendance.

491

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,486

Per pupil spending ?

31.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13555 Chaney Thompson Rd
Huntsville, AL 35803

(256) 428-7060

District: Huntsville City

Students who attend Challenger Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Challenger Middle School
High:	Virgil Grissom High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.1%

African American:

22.6%

Hispanic:

18.9%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Challenger Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg49%

Alabama avg53%

253^rd of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 10% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 23Elementary Schools in the Huntsville City

77^th of 139Huntsville 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
2026	62.7	253 of 686	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	307 of 680	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	351 of 684	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.8	223 of 680	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.6	205 of 687	70.2%	★★★★☆
2021	60.7	255 of 692	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	279 of 681	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	254 of 680	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.4	208 of 688	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	87.0	68 of 691	90.2%	★★★★★
2015	94.7	30 of 691	95.7%	★★★★★
2014	88.1	57 of 695	91.8%	★★★★★
2013	72.2	139 of 696	80.0%	★★★★☆
2012	75.4	126 of 696	81.9%	★★★★☆
2011	75.2	129 of 709	81.8%	★★★★☆
2010	77.5	97 of 704	86.2%	★★★★☆
2009	82.5	54 of 696	92.2%	★★★★★
2008	82.2	59 of 698	91.5%	★★★★★
2007	85.5	43 of 698	93.8%	★★★★★
2006	88.8	25 of 689	96.4%	★★★★★
2005	84.4	57 of 688	91.7%	★★★★★
2004	86.8	48 of 623	92.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	193 of 429	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	25.4	355 of 427	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	381 of 420	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	261 of 427	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	66.6	97 of 426	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	38.8	244 of 426	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.6	218 of 426	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	263 of 423	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.4	226 of 336	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	236 of 652	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.4	260 of 649	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	318 of 650	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.4	237 of 645	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	194 of 656	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	55.8	280 of 656	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.2	226 of 646	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.7	190 of 640	70.3%	★★★★☆
2017	67.0	179 of 639	72.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	45.7	118 of 206	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.9	61 of 196	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	55 of 184	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	52.3	72 of 175	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	75 of 164	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	75 of 152	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	43 of 140	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	35.1	459 of 668	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.3	498 of 660	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	520 of 670	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.4	371 of 623	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	362 of 651	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	453 of 653	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.7	316 of 649	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	350 of 651	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.0	294 of 567	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	57.2	286 of 660	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.6	329 of 651	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	376 of 655	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.5	201 of 649	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	224 of 669	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	221 of 669	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.2	298 of 650	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	262 of 650	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.7	205 of 639	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	77.4	30 of 194	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	20 of 70	71.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	72 of 403	82.1%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	119 of 403	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	44.6	191 of 395	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.1	83 of 373	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	80 of 345	76.8%	★★★★☆
2021	50.3	162 of 398	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.2	188 of 392	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	104 of 344	69.8%	★★★★☆
2017	55.9	95 of 280	66.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.5	208 of 500	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.5	199 of 532	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	290 of 535	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	223 of 528	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.8	197 of 540	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.7	191 of 539	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.9	253 of 529	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	257 of 508	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.9	175 of 369	52.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)85th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2026)82nd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile~ school

White (2026)58th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)55th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)43rd percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English71%+6 vs state

Science59%+8 vs state

Mathematics43%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Challenger 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 (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 (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
Challenger Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13555 Chaney Thompson Rd	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7060	491	28	17.5	31.8%	241 (49.1%)	111 (22.6%)	93 (18.9%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.3%)	62.7	253^rd of 686 public elementary schools	63.1%		56.8	307^th of 680 public elementary schools	54.9%	54	40.0	48.8	40.7		58.5	70.0	69.1	72.8		$7,486	$524	$6,961
Mountain Gap Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	821 Mountain Gap Road SE	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7360	341	20	17.2	31.4%	224 (65.7%)	41 (12.0%)	43 (12.6%)	6 (1.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.3%)	90	52^nd of 686 public elementary schools	92.4%		93.1	29^th of 680 public elementary schools	95.7%	23	77.8	64.6	65.5		75.4	87.0	80.0	85.7
Farley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 Green Cove Rd SW	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7160	334	19	17.7	28.7%	179 (53.6%)	49 (14.7%)	39 (11.7%)	26 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (12.3%)	68.3	209^th of 686 public elementary schools	69.5%		66.9	220^th of 680 public elementary schools	67.6%	11	46.7	39.7	62.5		55.2	77.3	60.3	85.7		$8,625	$737	$7,888
Weatherly Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1307 Cannstatt Drive SE	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7460	472	30	15.7	28.6%	292 (61.9%)	75 (15.9%)	52 (11.0%)	16 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.6%)	75.1	155^th of 686 public elementary schools	77.4%		69.5	197^th of 680 public elementary schools	71.0%	42	44.6	50.7	45.7		69.0	73.5	81.7	90.0		$9,510	$870	$8,639
GoldsmithSchiffman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1210 Taylor Road	Big Cove	35763	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7150	935	54	17.4	12.9%	725 (77.5%)	42 (4.5%)	67 (7.2%)	31 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	67 (7.2%)	88.8	61^st of 686 public elementary schools	91.1%		86.6	75^th of 680 public elementary schools	89.0%	14	64.2	68.6	62.4		72.6	84.5	79.6	93.3		$6,660	$469	$6,189
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%)	53.8	327^th of 686 public elementary schools	52.3%		53.6	328^th of 680 public elementary schools	51.8%	1	37.1	51.6	34.6		59.4	56.5	65.6	65.4		$9,722	$1,340	$8,380
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%)	32.2	478^th of 686 public elementary schools	30.3%		41.3	415^th of 680 public elementary schools	39.0%	63	20.6	27.1	36.2		35.4	54.0	40.4	70.7
Hampton Cove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	261 Old 431 Hwy	Hampton Cove	35763	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7180	711	39	18.1	6.8%	577 (81.2%)	24 (3.4%)	49 (6.9%)	26 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.8%)	94.6	21^st of 686 public elementary schools	96.9%		95.3	14^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.9%	7	80.7	82.3	61.0		87.9	91.9	91.1	92.7		$8,275	$715	$7,559
Owens Cross Roads School	Public	PK, KG-4	161 Wilson Mann Road	Owens Cross Roads	35763	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 851-3240	338	18	18.7	47.3%	239 (70.7%)	34 (10.1%)	22 (6.5%)	2 (0.6%)	25 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.7%)	66.5	224^th of 686 public elementary schools	67.3%		72	176^th of 680 public elementary schools	74.1%	48	47.8	50.0			71.4	65.2	64.3			$10,823	$2,321	$8,465
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%)	79.4	118^th of 686 public elementary schools	82.8%		81.6	101^st of 680 public elementary schools	85.1%	17	54.4	68.2	59.1	41.2	68.2	78.5	63.6	86.4	76.5	$9,469	$884	$8,583

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Elementary School

Is Challenger Elementary School a good school?

Challenger Elementary School ranks 253^rd of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Challenger Elementary School in?

Huntsville City

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary School?

Students at Challenger Elementary School are 49% White, 23% African American, 19% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Challenger Middle School
High : Virgil Grissom High School

How many students attend Challenger Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 491 students attended Challenger Elementary School.

Rate Challenger Elementary School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresNewAug 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.