Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge

Public Grades K-5

50^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge is a highly rated K-5 school in Vestavia Hills, AL, serving 657 students within the top-ranked Vestavia Hills City district.

Dolly Ridge is an excellent school by any standard, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 7% of all Alabama elementary schools. However, it's the lowest-ranked of the four elementary schools in its own district, and its statewide ranking has slipped from 16th in 2022-2023 to 50th in 2025-2026. This decline is unique within the district—Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights and Vestavia Hills Elementary East have held steady or improved. The most glaring academic outlier is 4th-grade math: only 57.27% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, an 18-point drop from the prior year and far below the district average of 75.23%. This same cohort scored 76.19% in 3rd-grade math, suggesting a possible curriculum transition or a particularly challenging group of students rather than a systemic problem. On the flip side, the school shines in 5th-grade English, with 96.77% proficiency—higher than the district average and surpassing nearby Mountain Brook Elementary School.

Another area of concern is the growing achievement gap for students from low socio-economic backgrounds. While only 12.33% of Dolly Ridge students receive free/reduced lunch, this subgroup's statewide ranking has plummeted from the 79th percentile (4 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 45th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026. This is a trend not seen in its district peers. Positively, chronic absenteeism is a non-issue at just 3.1% (state average is 12.0%), reflecting strong family engagement and a positive school culture. For parents, Dolly Ridge offers a stellar foundation in literacy and a supportive community, but it's worth asking the school about its 4th-grade math instruction and how it plans to support all learners, especially those who may need extra help.

657

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

12.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2680 Gresham Drive
Vestavia Hills, AL 35243

(205) 402-5325

District: Vestavia Hills City

Students who attend Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge usually attend:

Middle:	Pizitz Middle School
High:	Vestavia Hills High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.2%

African American:

7.3%

Hispanic:

5.0%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 95th percentile in 2021 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (77% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Alabama elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg85%

Alabama avg53%

50^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 3 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 139Vestavia Hills 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	90.2	50 of 686	92.7%	★★★★★
2025	91.7	42 of 680	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	21 of 684	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	16 of 680	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	94.5	35 of 687	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	95.0	33 of 692	95.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	58.4	143 of 429	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	80.3	50 of 427	88.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	57 of 652	91.3%	★★★★★
2025	90.0	40 of 649	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	27 of 650	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	18 of 645	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	24 of 656	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	92.8	38 of 656	94.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	368 of 668	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.5	331 of 660	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	72.2	143 of 670	78.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	88.9	53 of 660	92.0%	★★★★★
2025	90.8	43 of 651	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	20 of 655	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	16 of 649	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	92.6	38 of 669	94.3%	★★★★★
2021	95.2	28 of 669	95.8%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	78.8	46 of 403	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	98.2	6 of 403	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	76.4	53 of 395	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	95.5	13 of 373	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	71.7	58 of 345	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	75.7	46 of 398	88.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	85.0	62 of 500	87.6%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	53 of 532	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	92.3	25 of 535	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.3	19 of 528	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	50 of 540	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	89.6	52 of 539	90.4%	★★★★★

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)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)91st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)89th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)88th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)67th percentile-26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English89%+24 vs state

Science71%+21 vs state

Mathematics68%+26 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge and help other families decide.

Rate Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge

Load more schools when map is moved

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
Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge	Public	K-5	2680 Gresham Drive	Vestavia Hills	35243	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5325	657	41	16.0	12.3%	540 (82.2%)	48 (7.3%)	33 (5.0%)	19 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	90.2	50^th of 686 public elementary schools	92.7%		91.7	42^nd of 680 public elementary schools	93.8%	8	76.2	57.3	70.2		70.9	87.6	81.8	96.8
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights	Public	PK, KG-5	4401 Dolly Ridge Road	Vestavia Hills	35243	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5480	451	28	16.1	13.7%	365 (80.9%)	15 (3.3%)	29 (6.4%)	20 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	93.8	26^th of 686 public elementary schools	96.2%		88.5	59^th of 680 public elementary schools	91.3%	33	70.4	70.9	83.0		89.5	88.6	89.5	89.4		$13,984	$1,039	$12,943
Vestavia Hills Elementary East	Public	PK, KG-5	2109 Tyson Dr	Vestavia Hills	35216	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5200	771	44	17.5	7.0%	694 (90.0%)	29 (3.8%)	22 (2.9%)	17 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.2%)	97.1	7^th of 686 public elementary schools	99.0%		94.7	16^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.6%	9	86.3	78.1	91.3		89.8	96.8	90.5	95.2		$11,792	$454	$11,338
Vestavia Hills Elementary West	Public	K-5	1965 Merryvale Rd	Vestavia Hills	35216	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5151	691	44	15.7	13.5%	520 (75.3%)	35 (5.1%)	34 (4.9%)	62 (9.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (5.6%)	95.1	19^th of 686 public elementary schools	97.2%		93.8	24^th of 680 public elementary schools	96.5%	5	69.6	85.3	82.3		82.8	92.9	90.2	93.6		$11,628	$529	$11,098
Rocky Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2876 Old Rocky Ridge Rd	Hoover	35243	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 439-2900	577	41	14.0	36.4%	316 (54.8%)	108 (18.7%)	79 (13.7%)	23 (4.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (8.3%)	80.4	114^th of 686 public elementary schools	83.4%		76.5	144^th of 680 public elementary schools	78.8%	30	59.0	57.8	48.0		63.7	83.1	74.5	87.8		$12,736	$1,431	$11,304
Mountain Brook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3020 Cambridge Rd	Mountain Brook	35223	Jefferson County	Mountain Brook City	No	No	No	No	(205) 871-8191	551	47	11.7	2.0%	523 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.9%)	97.3	5^th of 686 public elementary schools	99.3%		97.6	5^th of 680 public elementary schools	99.3%		91.4	72.1	73.8	80.0	94.1	96.3	94.1	98.8	95.3	$13,933	$289	$13,644
Shades Cahaba Elementary School	Public	K-5	3001 Independence Drive	Homewood	35209	Jefferson County	Homewood City	No	No	No	No	(205) 871-1113	507	40	12.6	22.1%	383 (75.5%)	45 (8.9%)	38 (7.5%)	15 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	96.4	13^th of 686 public elementary schools	98.1%		93.7	26^th of 680 public elementary schools	96.2%	13	80.8	79.8	82.0		89.9	93.6	87.2	96.6		$12,104	$980	$11,103
Brookwood Forest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3701 S Brookwood Rd	Mountain Brook	35223	Jefferson County	Mountain Brook City	No	No	No	No	(205) 414-3700	579	50	11.5	1.2%	543 (93.8%)	6 (1.0%)	12 (2.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.2%)	98.1	3^rd of 686 public elementary schools	99.6%		97.1	8^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.8%	5	90.5	90.9	84.4	83.8	97.0	95.8	97.0	94.4	97.5	$13,183	$647	$12,536
Edgewood Elementary School	Public	K-5	901 College Ave	Homewood	35209	Jefferson County	Homewood City	No	No	No	No	(205) 423-2400	935	67	13.9	12.0%	786 (84.1%)	87 (9.3%)	34 (3.6%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.4%)	95.7	16^th of 686 public elementary schools	97.7%		95.3	13^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.1%	3	75.8	81.6	74.4		81.6	95.4	88.2	98.3		$10,200	$926	$9,252
Inverness Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	5251 Valleydale Rd	Birmingham	35242	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5240	563	35	15.9	34.8%	352 (62.5%)	119 (21.1%)	49 (8.7%)	26 (4.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.5%)								(n/a)	70.1					85.3				$9,652	$750	$8,882

Frequently Asked Questions about Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge

What district is Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge in?

Vestavia Hills City

How many students attend Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge?

In the 2024-25 school year, 657 students attended Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge.

What is the racial makeup of Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge?

Students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge are 82% White, 7% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Is Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge a good school?

Yes. Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge ranks in the top 7.3% of Alabama elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge attend?

Students who attend Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pizitz Middle School
High : Vestavia Hills High School

Rate Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ALAlabama Elementary School Rankings

ALAlabama District Rankings

Schools in Vestavia Hills, AL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge!

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.