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Wacoochee Elementary School

Q: Is Wacoochee Elementary School a good school?

Wacoochee Elementary School ranks 138 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

138^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Wacoochee Elementary School in Salem, AL, serves 574 students from Pre-K through 6th grade as part of the Lee County school district, and has earned a 4-star rating while ranking in the 80th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year.

This school has shown remarkable, consistent improvement over the past decade, climbing from a 3-star rating in 2015-2016 to 4-star ratings in each of the last four consecutive years. The most dramatic strength is in mathematics—4th grade math proficiency hit 62.86% in 2025-2026, a full 20 points above the district average and 21 points above the state. English Language Arts is equally strong, with 5th grade proficiency reaching 83.33% compared to the state average of 69.53%. Science performance also consistently exceeds district and state averages. Perhaps most impressive is the school's success with economically disadvantaged students, earning 4-star ratings for this subgroup for three straight years. The school has also cut chronic absenteeism dramatically, from 21.2% in 2021-2022 to just 8.6% in 2024-2025—far better than both district (12.4%) and state (12.0%) averages. Notably, boys and girls perform at nearly identical levels, suggesting instruction reaches all students effectively.

Compared to nearby schools, Wacoochee stands out as the strongest performer in its area. It outranks all other Lee County elementary schools in the Smiths Station area, including South Smiths Station Elementary School, East Smiths Station Elementary School, and West Smiths Station Elementary School. The contrast with Beulah Elementary School, just 3.43 miles away in the same district, is striking—Wacoochee's 4th grade math proficiency is more than double Beulah's. The school also outperforms schools in neighboring districts like Phenix City and Chambers County. One area of concern is volatility in special education performance, which swung from a 4-star to a 2-star rating between school years, suggesting this subgroup may need additional attention.

574

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,808

Per pupil spending ?

42.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

125 Lee Road 254
Salem, AL 36874-3309

(334) 664-4072

District: Lee County

Students who attend Wacoochee Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Smiths Station Junior High School
High:	Smiths Station High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.6%

African American:

12.2%

Hispanic:

7.3%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Wacoochee Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 68th percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (66% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Alabama elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school66%

District avg59%

Alabama avg53%

138^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 32% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 7Elementary Schools in the Lee County

68^th of 139Lee 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	77.2	138 of 686	79.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.5	137 of 680	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	187 of 684	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	171 of 680	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	218 of 687	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.7	234 of 692	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.5	252 of 681	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	311 of 680	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.0	249 of 688	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.1	220 of 691	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	67.4	191 of 691	72.4%	★★★★☆
2014	68.9	181 of 695	74.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	88 of 427	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	56.3	150 of 420	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	193 of 427	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	105 of 426	75.4%	★★★★☆
2021	43.4	213 of 426	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	95 of 426	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	56.1	159 of 423	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.8	94 of 336	72.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	74.6	145 of 652	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	76.9	128 of 649	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	198 of 650	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.0	192 of 645	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.5	275 of 656	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.4	317 of 656	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	237 of 646	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	262 of 640	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.5	243 of 639	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	163 of 668	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	75.1	120 of 660	81.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	140 of 670	79.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.1	193 of 623	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.3	167 of 651	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	61.5	234 of 653	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.7	246 of 649	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.6	218 of 651	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.9	202 of 567	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	76.9	134 of 660	79.7%	★★★★☆
2025	74.4	153 of 651	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	179 of 655	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	72.3	157 of 649	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	183 of 669	72.6%	★★★★☆
2021	71.0	165 of 669	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	60.3	247 of 650	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	310 of 650	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.2	256 of 639	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	210 of 403	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.7	91 of 403	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	54.7	147 of 395	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	120 of 373	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	142 of 345	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.2	330 of 398	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.3	128 of 392	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.6	170 of 344	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.7	117 of 280	58.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.6	175 of 500	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.1	142 of 532	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.6	168 of 535	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.1	147 of 528	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	54.0	226 of 540	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	225 of 539	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	301 of 529	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.2	323 of 508	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.6	222 of 369	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)80th percentile~ school

African American (2025)79th percentile~ school

Female (2026)78th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)76th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)65th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English75%+10 vs state

Science63%+13 vs state

Mathematics58%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wacoochee 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
Wacoochee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	125 Lee Road 254	Salem	36874	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 664-4072	574	36	15.9	42.9%	428 (74.6%)	70 (12.2%)	42 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.7%)	77.2	138^th of 686 public elementary schools	79.9%		77.5	137^th of 680 public elementary schools	79.9%	1	62.7	62.9	47.6		62.9	74.7	66.7	83.3		$8,808	$813	$7,979
Beulah Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4747 Lee Road 270	Valley	36854	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 705-6021	696	45	15.4	59.2%	497 (71.4%)	98 (14.1%)	58 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.2%)	59.3	278^th of 686 public elementary schools	59.5%		45.7	385^th of 680 public elementary schools	43.4%	107	65.0	29.7	37.0		53.1	80.0	62.5	64.8		$8,119	$1,028	$7,075
Fairfax Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	502 Blvd	Valley	36854	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 756-2966	689	35	19.6	58.2%	335 (48.6%)	230 (33.4%)	88 (12.8%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.4%)	29.7	490^th of 686 public elementary schools	28.6%		33.5	457^th of 680 public elementary schools	32.8%	33	25.3	34.8	13.6		43.5	53.3	50.7	56.0		$9,507	$1,748	$7,744
West Smiths Station Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	150 Stringer Weeks Road	Smiths Station	36877	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 664-4050	811	54	15.0	42.0%	516 (63.6%)	141 (17.4%)	86 (10.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.6%)	71.1	185^th of 686 public elementary schools	73.0%		69.9	195^th of 680 public elementary schools	71.3%	10	49.6	46.0	66.1		65.0	63.4	66.0	85.3		$9,088	$851	$8,220
South Smiths Station Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	80 Brown Road	Smiths Station	36877	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 664-4062	669	44	15.2	42.3%	478 (71.4%)	100 (14.9%)	52 (7.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.5%)	72	176^th of 686 public elementary schools	74.3%		73.1	166^th of 680 public elementary schools	75.6%	10	60.0	38.2	35.5		63.2	80.0	76.3	86.8		$8,525	$1,070	$7,439
East Smiths Station Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	171 Mill Creek Drive	Smiths Station	36877	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 664-4061	785	53	14.8	48.2%	492 (62.7%)	151 (19.2%)	69 (8.8%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	65 (8.3%)	67.5	217^th of 686 public elementary schools	68.4%		72.6	170^th of 680 public elementary schools	75.0%	47	41.4	57.0	43.9		50.9	79.6	75.4	72.8		$8,737	$1,212	$7,508
Bob HardingShawmut Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	3301 23rd Dr	Valley	36854	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 710-2803	232	13	17.8	43.1%	87 (37.5%)	78 (33.6%)	54 (23.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.7%)								(n/a)	22.8					52.7				$10,550	$1,603	$8,933
Huguley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3011 Phillips Rd	Lanett	36863	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 576-2572	383	22	17.4	52.7%	231 (60.3%)	112 (29.2%)	22 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	56.3	303^rd of 686 public elementary schools	55.8%		57.6	298^th of 680 public elementary schools	56.2%	5	41.7	50.0	40.4		57.7	47.9	71.2	69.2		$8,700	$1,133	$7,554
W O Lance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	200 S 8th Ave	Lanett	36863	Chambers County	Lanett City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 644-5915	564	35	16.1	64.7%	27 (4.8%)	339 (60.1%)	177 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.7%)	7.1	670^th of 686 public elementary schools	2.3%		7.6	663^rd of 680 public elementary schools	2.5%	7	15.5	14.3	5.3	6.2	20.5	32.1	27.4	29.7	24.1	$9,031	$1,278	$7,750
Jeter Primary School	Public	K-3	700 Jeter Ave	Opelika	36801	Lee County	Opelika City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 745-9723	435	27	15.8	64.6%	162 (37.2%)	202 (46.4%)	35 (8.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (6.7%)								(n/a)										$10,721	$1,733	$8,934

Frequently Asked Questions about Wacoochee Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Wacoochee Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Smiths Station Junior High School
High : Smiths Station High School

What district is Wacoochee Elementary School in?

Lee County

How many students attend Wacoochee Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 574 students attended Wacoochee Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Wacoochee Elementary School?

Students at Wacoochee Elementary School are 75% White, 12% African American, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Wacoochee Elementary School a good school?

Wacoochee Elementary School ranks 138^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Wacoochee 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.