Aliceville Elementary School

Aliceville Elementary School in Aliceville, AL, serves 415 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade in the Pickens County district, where nearly 88% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

While the school's overall academic performance places it in the bottom quartile statewide, the data tells a story of steady improvement. The school's state ranking has climbed from the 6th percentile in 2021-2022 to the 24th percentile in 2025-2026. This upward trend is especially visible in specific student groups. The school now ranks in the 48th percentile for its African American students, earning a 2-star rating, and has shown dramatic progress for Special Education students, jumping from the 5th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 38th percentile in 2025-2026. Another notable strength is the school's low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.1%, which is significantly better than both the district (10.1%) and state (12.0%) averages, suggesting strong family engagement and student attendance.

However, significant academic challenges remain. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 8.06% of 3rd graders and 9.43% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of 44.89% and 39.06%. English proficiency is stronger, with 3rd graders reaching 48.39% proficiency. The contrast with Gordo Elementary School, also in the Pickens County district, is stark—Gordo consistently ranks in the top 30% statewide and posts dramatically higher proficiency rates across all subjects. Interestingly, Aliceville's per-student spending of $9,516 is actually higher than Gordo's $7,903, suggesting that resource allocation alone doesn't explain the performance gap. There are bright spots worth noting: 4th graders posted the school's highest math proficiency (30.36%) and a strong science rate of 35.71%, indicating that certain grade-level strategies may be working well and could serve as models for other grades.