Summary:
Zip code 35010 in Alexander City, Alabama, is home to 2 elementary schools serving grades PK-4 and educating a combined 1,140 students within the Alexander City school district.
For parents exploring this area, the two schools form a natural PK-2 to 3-4 feeder pattern. Jim Pearson Elementary School is the larger of the two with 704 students and offers a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 17.1:1, compared to Nathaniel H Stephens Elementary School’s 21.8:1. Both schools share a clear strength in attendance, with chronic absenteeism rates around 6.5%—roughly half the state average of 12.0%—despite serving a population where 61-71% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Spending is nearly identical at about $9,480-9,490 per student, yet outcomes differ. Stephens is the only school with published test scores, and it shows a notable bright spot: 3rd grade English proficiency (69.49%) actually exceeds the state average (64.75%), even while math proficiency lags significantly (26.55% vs. 44.89% state average).
Stephens also demonstrated dramatic year-over-year improvement in 2025-2026, with 3rd grade English jumping 17.5 points and 4th grade science rising 15.1 points, helping the school climb from the 28th to 37th percentile in state rankings. However, 3rd grade math declined by 5.75 points, indicating gains are concentrated in literacy and science. Jim Pearson, serving younger students, has no test data available since standardized testing begins in 3rd grade in Alabama. The transition from Pearson’s smaller classes to Stephens’ larger ones may be worth noting, as could the fact that the higher-poverty school (Stephens at 71.3% free/reduced lunch) shows lower math scores—though its English results prove poverty doesn’t have to dictate performance. Overall, these schools offer strong attendance and promising literacy gains, but math achievement remains an area needing attention.
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