Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary

Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary in Tuscaloosa, AL, is a highly-rated public magnet school serving 324 students in grades 1-5, and it consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Alabama.

This school is a true standout. In the most recent school year, it ranked 41st out of 686 elementary schools in the state, placing it in the top 6% and earning a 5-star rating. What makes this even more impressive is that it has never ranked below the 94th percentile in the past decade. The academic results are exceptional across the board. For example, 5th-grade English proficiency is an extraordinary 98.36%, and 3rd-grade proficiency is 93.44%, compared to state averages in the 60s. Math and science scores also far outpace district and state averages. This success isn't limited to one group of students; the school achieves top rankings for all student subgroups, including African American students (ranked 25th in the state) and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (ranked 31st in the state). The school also has an incredibly low chronic absenteeism rate of just 2.6%, compared to 12% statewide, showing that students are engaged and families are committed.

To put this in perspective, the school dramatically outperforms its neighbors within the Tuscaloosa City district. While schools like Martin L King Junior Elementary School and Skyland Elementary School rank in the 20th-30th percentiles, Tuscaloosa Magnet is in the 94th. Even the next-highest performing school in the area, Verner Elementary School (87th percentile), trails by 7-10 percentage points in most subjects. It's also worth noting that the school achieves these results while spending less per student than some lower-performing schools in the district, proving its success comes from an effective program, not just more money. While there has been a slight dip from its peak ranking of 6th in the state a few years ago, this remains an elite school that is a model for elementary education in Alabama.