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McCalla Elementary School

Q: Is McCalla Elementary School a good school?

McCalla Elementary School ranks 398 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

398^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

McCalla Elementary School is a mid-sized public school in Bessemer, AL, serving 752 students in grades PK-5 within the Jefferson County school district. The school holds a steady 2-star rating and ranks in the middle of the pack statewide, but its real story is in how it serves specific groups of students.

The most impressive thing about McCalla is its standout results with certain student populations. In the most recent school year, the school ranked in the 79th percentile statewide for African American student performance—a 4-star rating that far exceeds its overall 44th percentile ranking. Even more striking, English Language Learners at McCalla performed in the 85th percentile, earning another 4-star rating. This tells parents that the school has developed effective, targeted strategies for these learners, even while its overall academic profile remains average. At the same time, there's a clear gap: White students at McCalla ranked in the 23rd percentile, suggesting the school's successful approaches don't translate equally across all groups. Test scores also vary widely by grade and subject—5th-grade English proficiency hit 78.5% while 3rd-grade math sat at just 26%—which points to classroom-level differences rather than school-wide strengths or weaknesses.

Compared to nearby schools, McCalla sits in a fascinating middle ground. It outperforms schools in the Bessemer City district like Westhills Elementary School and Jonesboro Elementary School, but trails top-rated schools in the Hoover City and Shelby County districts like Brocks Gap Intermediate School and Helena Intermediate School. One bright spot: chronic absenteeism has dropped from 16% to 10.6% over three years—better than both the district and state averages—suggesting a positive, welcoming school climate. The student body has also shifted economically, with free/reduced lunch eligibility falling from 68% to 54% in just one year.

752

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,104

Per pupil spending ?

54.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2020 McCalla School Road
Bessemer, AL 35022-6471

(205) 379-3750

District: Jefferson County

Students who attend McCalla Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	McAdory Middle School
High:	McAdory High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.9%

White:

22.7%

Hispanic:

17.0%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare McCalla Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (48% vs 53% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg41%

Alabama avg53%

398^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Jefferson County

101^st of 139Jefferson 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	44.8	398 of 686	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.5	378 of 680	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	431 of 684	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	470 of 680	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	448 of 687	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.4	482 of 692	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	391 of 681	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.4	486 of 680	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	41.6	427 of 688	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.4	536 of 691	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.4	421 of 691	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	32.1	503 of 695	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.3	531 of 696	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	44.2	474 of 696	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.9	541 of 709	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	41.4	509 of 704	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	51.0	382 of 696	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.2	357 of 698	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	41.1	470 of 698	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.9	354 of 689	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	67.3	196 of 688	71.5%	★★★★☆
2004	38.9	414 of 623	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	142 of 429	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.7	90 of 427	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	64.7	106 of 420	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	53.2	166 of 427	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	177 of 426	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.8	204 of 426	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.9	79 of 426	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	58.5	139 of 423	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.5	139 of 336	58.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	61.1	36 of 143	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	74.2	21 of 142	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	30.3	107 of 131	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	90 of 123	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.2	66 of 110	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	371 of 652	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.4	381 of 649	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	430 of 650	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	427 of 645	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	409 of 656	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.4	444 of 656	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.4	361 of 646	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.0	434 of 640	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.5	439 of 639	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	55.8	78 of 206	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	108 of 196	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.2	87 of 184	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.2	107 of 175	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	441 of 668	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	381 of 660	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.0	444 of 670	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	474 of 623	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	482 of 651	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	504 of 653	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	434 of 649	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.9	508 of 651	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.6	424 of 567	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	378 of 660	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.9	352 of 651	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	400 of 655	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.0	467 of 649	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	454 of 669	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.8	472 of 669	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.0	395 of 650	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.6	489 of 650	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	47.4	356 of 639	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	122 of 194	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	195 of 403	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.1	111 of 403	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	43.1	203 of 395	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.8	137 of 373	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.5	259 of 345	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	290 of 500	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.5	410 of 532	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	478 of 535	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	434 of 528	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	413 of 540	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	465 of 539	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	435 of 529	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	447 of 508	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.2	274 of 369	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+33 vs school

African American (2026)67th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)43rd percentile~ school

White (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)37th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English62%~ state avg

Science41%-9 vs state

Mathematics35%-7 vs state

3.8

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 6, 2023

Do not send your kids to this school. They have a horrible way of dealing with bullying. My son was bullied to the point of attempted suicide. No one helping. I’ve asked for each affidavit multiple times since pulling him and Mrs Hayes has ignored each request. I walked in to an assembly to a teach SCREAMING at my son for bumping into her - he had just lost his eye and was learning this new normal. My husband confronted the teacher and she had the worst attitude. My son was never safe here. And it’s sad because there are few teachers and staff that are absolute angels in this poor environment. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

THE TEACHERS ARE GREAT. ITS A SMALL SCHOOL SO KIDS NORMALY DONT GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE. Close Quote

Schools Near McCalla 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 Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McCalla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 McCalla School Road	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-3750	752	41	18.5	54.4%	171 (22.7%)	420 (55.9%)	128 (17.0%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.5%)	44.8	398^th of 686 public elementary schools	42.0%		46.5	378^th of 680 public elementary schools	44.4%	20	26.1	42.0	37.4	41.3	60.3	48.2	78.5	$12,104	$1,389	$10,686
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5012 Roselyn Road Southeast	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3201	290	13	22.3	71.7%	11 (3.8%)	160 (55.2%)	111 (38.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	19.6	558^th of 686 public elementary schools	18.7%		13.8	599^th of 680 public elementary schools	11.9%	41	15.4	24.3	23.3	18.9	52.5	35.1	58.1	$10,779	$1,968	$8,795
McAdory Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6251 Eastern Valley Rd	Mc Calla	35111	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-4650	617	35	17.4	50.4%	102 (16.5%)	394 (63.9%)	83 (13.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.7%)	41.8	415^th of 686 public elementary schools	39.5%		40.2	421^st of 680 public elementary schools	38.1%	6	36.0	41.9	26.2	41.0	57.0	58.1	65.1	$8,246	$929	$7,299
Westhills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	710 Glenn Rd	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3500	277	16	17.3	74.0%	4 (1.4%)	236 (85.2%)	33 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	5.4	677^th of 686 public elementary schools	1.3%		9.8	640^th of 680 public elementary schools	5.9%	37	10.2	10.3	2.2	15.4	34.7	10.3	40.4	$14,067	$2,370	$11,681
Jonesboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	125 Owen Ave	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3400	474	28	16.9	78.1%	10 (2.1%)	304 (64.1%)	153 (32.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	9.4	646^th of 686 public elementary schools	5.8%		15	587^th of 680 public elementary schools	13.7%	59	5.9	10.1	20.0	24.6	30.6	33.3	38.3	$10,734	$2,973	$7,745
Brocks Gap Intermediate School	Public	2-5	1730 Lake Cyrus Club Drive	Hoover	35244	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-1600	521	35	14.8	20.0%	276 (53.0%)	124 (23.8%)	33 (6.3%)	49 (9.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.3%)	92	38^th of 686 public elementary schools	94.5%		92.6	34^th of 680 public elementary schools	95.0%	4	74.1	68.0	71.1	76.7	85.6	84.7	91.7	$14,065	$1,054	$13,011
South Shades Crest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	3770 South Shades Crest Rd	Hoover	35244	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-3000	534	36	15.0	18.2%	307 (57.5%)	95 (17.8%)	31 (5.8%)	79 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.1%)								(n/a)								$14,768	$1,031	$13,736
Helena Intermediate School	Public	3-5	3500 Hwy 52	Helena	35080	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5520	955	53	18.0	28.8%	690 (72.3%)	121 (12.7%)	95 (9.9%)	13 (1.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.5%)	78.7	126^th of 686 public elementary schools	81.6%		81.4	104^th of 680 public elementary schools	84.7%	22	48.0	60.3	49.0	66.5	81.8	78.1	84.5	$8,594	$704	$7,874
Abrams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 23rd Street North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3100	231	14	16.5	79.2%	6 (2.6%)	195 (84.4%)	26 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	19.1	563^rd of 686 public elementary schools	17.9%		14.8	589^th of 680 public elementary schools	13.4%	26	19.4	23.5	30.3	26.5	38.9	39.4	51.5	$13,401	$3,480	$9,906
Empower Community SchoolLower School	Public, Charter	K-4	2410 7th Ave North	Bessemer	35020	Jefferson County	Empower Schools of Alabama	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 413-8600	201	11	27.4	71.1%	5 (2.5%)	168 (83.6%)	22 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)								(n/a)	18.5				40.7

Frequently Asked Questions about McCalla Elementary School

What schools do graduates of McCalla Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : McAdory Middle School
High : McAdory High School

What is the racial makeup of McCalla Elementary School?

Students at McCalla Elementary School are 56% African American, 23% White, 17% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend McCalla Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 752 students attended McCalla Elementary School.

What district is McCalla Elementary School in?

Jefferson County

Is McCalla Elementary School a good school?

McCalla Elementary School ranks 398^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate McCalla 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.