Summary:
Zip code 35031 in Blountsville, Alabama, is served by four schools within the Blount County district, including two elementary schools and two high schools that together educate about 2,177 students.
For parents, the most striking story is the dramatic difference between the two high schools. Susan Moore High School is the clear turnaround success, jumping from the bottom quartile of Alabama high schools to the 53rd percentile in a single year, and it now boasts a 97.4% graduation rate—well above the state average. In contrast, JB Pennington High School has fallen from an 83rd percentile ranking to the 32nd percentile over two years, despite spending the most per student ($9,129). Both high schools share a serious weakness in math, with proficiency rates in 7th and 8th grade languishing between 6% and 12%, far below state averages. They also both show a puzzling drop in English proficiency from 8th to 11th grade, falling from around 50% to under 20%.
At the elementary level, Blountsville Elementary School stands out for its exceptional 75% proficiency in 4th-grade science, a massive jump from the prior year, while Susan Moore Elementary School shows a concerning "6th-grade math cliff," collapsing from 56% proficiency in 5th grade to just 13.6% in 6th grade. A clear district-wide strength is chronic absenteeism, which is remarkably low at all four schools—Blountsville Elementary reports just 0.1%—compared to a 12% state average. However, the disconnect between strong graduation rates and weak test scores, combined with significant year-to-year volatility, suggests that while the district excels at keeping students engaged and in school, academic mastery—particularly in secondary math—remains a critical area for improvement.
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