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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 347 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

347^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School in Florence, AL, is a PK-6 school in the Lauderdale County district, serving 713 students in a moderate-income area where about 44% of families qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Central Elementary is currently rated as a 2-star school, a step down from its 3-star rating two years ago. The school's overall ranking has slipped from the 67th percentile to the 50th percentile statewide, and this decline is not happening across the district—both Wilson Elementary School and Underwood Elementary School have maintained 3-star ratings. The most concerning academic trend is in upper-grade math: only about 25% of 6th graders are proficient, which is well below the state average of 35% and the lowest among comparable schools. Math proficiency drops sharply as students advance, falling from 53% in 3rd grade to 25% in 6th grade. English language arts remains a relative strength, especially in the lower grades, though those scores are also slipping. Chronic absenteeism has risen to 18.7%, notably higher than the state average of 12% and far above top-performing nearby schools like Kilby Laboratory School (7.2%) and Forest Hills School (9.2%).

For parents, the picture is mixed. Central is a large school with a student-teacher ratio of 17.2, higher than most peers, which may be worth asking about. The school has seen a significant demographic shift—free/reduced lunch eligibility dropped by 19 points in one year—yet academics did not improve, suggesting the challenges are school-specific rather than tied to family income. The good news is that nearby schools in the same area, including Weeden Elementary School and Cherokee Elementary School, are performing better, which shows improvement is possible. If you're considering Central, it's worth asking the school about its math intervention strategies for upper grades and its plans to address attendance.

713

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,829

Per pupil spending ?

43.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3000 County Road 200
Florence, AL 35633-3930

(256) 764-2903

District: Lauderdale County

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.5%

Two or more races:

3.5%

Hispanic:

3.4%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2024 → 49th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2024

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

!Near the bottom of Lauderdale County's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg56%

Alabama avg51%

347^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 18 pts since 2024

From top 33% (2024) to bottom 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Lauderdale County

54^th of 140Lauderdale 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	51.6	347 of 686	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.0	341 of 680	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.3	226 of 684	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	307 of 651	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.6	313 of 649	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	207 of 650	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	48.8	359 of 667	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.8	304 of 660	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	190 of 670	71.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	361 of 659	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.1	340 of 651	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.5	263 of 655	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	273 of 403	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.6	268 of 403	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.9	101 of 395	74.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	374 of 501	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.8	360 of 532	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.8	286 of 535	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)53rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)45th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)32nd percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)25th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English63%~ state avg

Science43%-7 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Central 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 (2023)
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 (2025)	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
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3000 County Road 200	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 764-2903	713	41	17.2	43.8%	638 (89.5%)	23 (3.2%)	24 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.5%)	51.6	347^th of 686 public elementary schools	49.4%		52	341^st of 680 public elementary schools	49.9%	6	52.6	38.9	37.6	24.5	43.3	62.3	57.8	72.5	58.8	$8,829	$957	$7,826
Underwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4725 Highway 157	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 764-8939	343	22	15.7	46.9%	310 (90.4%)	13 (3.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.5%)	67.4	219^th of 686 public elementary schools	68.1%		66.1	223^rd of 680 public elementary schools	67.2%	4	70.0	61.5	46.7	18.2	64.1	84.0	61.5	73.3	54.6	$12,890	$2,440	$10,403
Wilson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7601 Highway 17	Florence	35634	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 764-8470	552	31	18.0	49.8%	508 (92.0%)	13 (2.4%)	13 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	66.1	229^th of 686 public elementary schools	66.6%		63.4	243^rd of 680 public elementary schools	64.3%	14	45.8	64.4	42.9	33.3	67.8	61.0	69.5	75.7	62.7	$8,694	$814	$7,834
Forest Hills Elementary School	Public	K-6	101 Stovall Dr	Florence	35633	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2500	906	63	14.3	46.6%	596 (65.8%)	151 (16.7%)	56 (6.2%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (10.9%)	78.2	132^nd of 686 public elementary schools	80.8%		80.4	116^th of 680 public elementary schools	82.9%	16	63.2	52.9	63.4	48.1	55.8	79.0	68.8	81.3	71.5	$12,542	$2,042	$10,366
Hibbett Elementary School	Public	K-6	1601 Appleby Blvd	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2800	489	37	13.3	70.8%	184 (37.6%)	157 (32.1%)	79 (16.2%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (12.5%)	32.6	474^th of 686 public elementary schools	30.9%					(n/a)	37.5	25.9	22.2	47.6	17.9	53.7	35.7	52.8	57.1	$13,447	$2,541	$10,771
Harlan Elementary School	Public	K-6	2233 McBurney Dr	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2700	426	36	11.7	84.7%	120 (28.2%)	196 (46.0%)	19 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (20.7%)	45.1	396^th of 686 public elementary schools	42.3%		45.2	390^th of 680 public elementary schools	42.6%	6	32.4	20.0	44.8	62.2	32.9	52.1	55.3	65.7	57.8	$15,699	$3,752	$11,812
Kilby Laboratory School	Public	PK, KG-6	611 N Pine St	Florence	35632	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	No	(256) 765-4303	187			11.2%	141 (75.4%)	22 (11.8%)	4 (2.1%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.5%)	95.6	17^th of 686 public elementary schools	97.5%		95.3	12^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.2%	5	94.4	80.0	84.2	54.6	90.0	94.4	95.0	89.5	90.9	$10,505	$195	$10,190
Weeden Elementary School	Public	K-6	400 Baldwin St	Florence	35630	Lauderdale County	Florence City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 768-2900	477	32	15.1	84.3%	96 (20.1%)	144 (30.2%)	190 (39.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.4%)	56.4	302^nd of 686 public elementary schools	56.0%		50.6	351^st of 680 public elementary schools	48.4%	49	62.0	46.3	46.0	50.8	27.9	61.1	55.9	61.3	63.6	$14,555	$2,981	$11,439
L E Willson Elementary School	Public	3-6	2200 31st St	Sheffield	35660	Colbert County	Sheffield City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 386-5730	253	18	14.4	78.3%	116 (45.8%)	85 (33.6%)	20 (7.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.9%)	34.3	463^rd of 686 public elementary schools	32.5%		23.6	516^th of 680 public elementary schools	24.1%	53	30.4	25.8	32.0	41.7	27.3	62.3	43.9	52.0	50.0	$13,688	$4,009	$9,672
WA Threadgill Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	900 Annapolis Avenue	Sheffield	35660	Colbert County	Sheffield City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 386-5720	344	24	14.6	69.8%	167 (48.5%)	106 (30.8%)	27 (7.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.2%)								(n/a)										$12,790	$2,827	$9,957

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 89% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 3% African American.

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 347^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Lauderdale County

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 713 students attended Central Elementary School.

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataNewOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

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.