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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 481 st of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

481^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a PK-5 public school in Tuscaloosa, AL, serving 291 students as part of the Tuscaloosa City district. This is a school on the rise—while it has historically ranked in the bottom quartile of Alabama elementary schools, it has climbed from the 2nd percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 30th percentile in 2025-2026, a remarkable four-year turnaround that shows no signs of slowing down.

What really sets Central apart is its exceptional progress with its student body. The school now ranks in the 71st percentile statewide for its African American students, earning a 4-star rating—a standout achievement that outpaces its overall school rating. Attendance is another huge win: chronic absenteeism sits at just 1.0%, the lowest among all nearby schools, including high-performing ones like Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary (2.6%) and Verner Elementary School (6.4%). This near-perfect attendance signals strong family-school connections and a student body that wants to be in class. Academically, the gains are dramatic: 3rd-grade math proficiency jumped from 8% to 37% in just three years, and 5th-grade English proficiency more than doubled to 55%.

Central is also outperforming many schools with similar demographics. It now ranks above Skyland Elementary School (28th pct), Oakdale Elementary School (27th pct), and Martin L King Junior Elementary School (22nd pct) statewide. The school's biggest challenge is 4th-grade science, where only 14% of students are proficient versus the state average of 50%. However, with higher per-student spending ($11,176) and a lower student-teacher ratio (14.4) than many peers, the district is clearly investing in this school's continued success. For parents, Central represents a school that is actively closing gaps and building momentum—a rising star worth watching.

291

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,176

Per pupil spending ?

78.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1510 Dinah Washington Ave
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-4213

(205) 759-3570

District: Tuscaloosa City

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Westlawn Middle School
High:	Central High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.4%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Two or more races:

1.7%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (40% vs 53% meeting standards)

!Science scores 36 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg52%

Alabama avg53%

481^st of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Tuscaloosa City

75^th of 140Tuscaloosa 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	31.5	481 of 686	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	501 of 680	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	593 of 684	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	641 of 680	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	676 of 687	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.0	612 of 692	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	596 of 681	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	615 of 680	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	21.1	563 of 688	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.3	609 of 691	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	625 of 691	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.0	656 of 695	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	26.9	609 of 696	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.5	593 of 696	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.6	657 of 688	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	15.2	575 of 623	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	126 of 428	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	52.4	172 of 427	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.3	300 of 420	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	375 of 427	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	414 of 426	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	369 of 426	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	350 of 426	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	331 of 423	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.1	77 of 143	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	436 of 651	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.3	463 of 649	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	520 of 650	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	522 of 645	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	628 of 656	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	582 of 656	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	618 of 646	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	585 of 640	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	21.6	522 of 639	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	26.8	145 of 184	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	437 of 667	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.0	441 of 660	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.1	564 of 670	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	582 of 623	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	641 of 651	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	590 of 653	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	572 of 649	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	534 of 651	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	26.4	453 of 567	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	474 of 659	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	499 of 651	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	607 of 655	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	637 of 649	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	666 of 669	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	613 of 669	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	531 of 650	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	577 of 650	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	493 of 639	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2023	30.7	41 of 57	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)71st percentile+41 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)46th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)28th percentile~ school

Native American (2023)28th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2023)21st percentile+15 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English51%-14 vs state

Mathematics37%-5 vs state

Science14%-36 vs state

★

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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 (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 (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 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
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1510 Dinah Washington Ave	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3570	291	20	14.4	78.7%	1 (0.3%)	234 (80.4%)	50 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	31.5	481^st of 686 public elementary schools	29.9%		26.5	501^st of 680 public elementary schools	26.3%	20	37.0	35.7	38.9	14.3	53.7	43.9	55.6	$11,176	$2,407	$8,750
Martin L King Junior Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2430 Martin L King Jr Blvd	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3619	467	28	16.6	79.2%	1 (0.2%)	413 (88.4%)	49 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	23.2	531^st of 686 public elementary schools	22.6%		19.8	544^th of 680 public elementary schools	20.0%	13	25.7	27.1	29.8	13.6	44.3	49.2	54.4	$12,095	$2,487	$9,589
Matthews Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1225 Rice Mine Road	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2654	401	26	15.2	86.8%	25 (6.2%)	231 (57.6%)	139 (34.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	12.8	615^th of 686 public elementary schools	10.3%		13.5	604^th of 680 public elementary schools	11.2%	11	14.7	24.0		21.3	32.4	40.0		$9,484	$2,129	$7,332
Oakdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5001 25th Street	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3626	292	22	13.4	80.5%	3 (1.0%)	264 (90.4%)	16 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	28.3	497^th of 686 public elementary schools	27.6%		18.1	559^th of 680 public elementary schools	17.8%	62	42.5	21.1	20.9	10.5	72.5	42.1	48.8	$12,270	$2,250	$10,000
University Place Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 First Avenue	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3664	570	38	15.0	69.3%	24 (4.2%)	448 (78.6%)	63 (11.1%)	22 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	42.2	412^th of 686 public elementary schools	39.9%		42.6	405^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.4%	7	49.2	35.4	38.8	25.3	61.5	54.4	59.7	$11,854	$1,683	$10,153
Crestmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2400 34th Ave	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2695	268	20	13.4	74.6%	32 (11.9%)	141 (52.6%)	85 (31.7%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	12.7	618^th of 686 public elementary schools	9.9%		19.1	550^th of 680 public elementary schools	19.1%	68	18.5	22.4		22.4	38.5	34.5		$10,253	$2,088	$8,140
Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary	Public, Magnet	1-5	315 Mcfarland Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	No	(205) 759-3655	324	22	15.0	27.8%	132 (40.7%)	145 (44.8%)	18 (5.6%)	20 (6.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	91.6	41^st of 686 public elementary schools	94.0%		94.1	20^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.1%	21	55.7	78.3	78.7	71.7	93.4	90.0	98.4	$11,429	$974	$10,435
FaucettVestavia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1150 Vestavia Circle	Northport	35473	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2646	343	23	14.9	46.9%	194 (56.6%)	100 (29.2%)	18 (5.2%)	17 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	84.4	94^th of 686 public elementary schools	86.3%		71.8	179^th of 680 public elementary schools	73.7%	85	61.4	58.0		68.0	81.5	86.0		$8,445	$948	$7,473
Skyland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	408 Skyland Boulevard East	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3638	459	28	16.5	76.5%	7 (1.5%)	364 (79.3%)	73 (15.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	29.4	491^st of 686 public elementary schools	28.4%		22	529^th of 680 public elementary schools	22.2%	38	28.0	29.8	33.3	28.1	55.4	36.8	63.6	$11,558	$2,241	$9,145
Flatwoods Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3800 66th Ave	Northport	35473	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2648	459	32	14.3	68.6%	90 (19.6%)	198 (43.1%)	153 (33.3%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)	25.4	518^th of 686 public elementary schools	24.5%		28.6	485^th of 680 public elementary schools	28.7%	33	32.8	23.2		30.0	60.9	34.3		$9,480	$1,998	$7,458

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 481^st of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 291 students attended Central Elementary School.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Tuscaloosa City

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 80% African American, 17% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Westlawn Middle School
High : Central High School

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 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.