Schools in Zip Code 35044

Schools in zip code 35044 (Childersburg, AL) serve approximately 1,186 students across four schools in the Talladega County district, covering pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a predominantly low-income area where 67-74% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

For parents evaluating elementary options, AH Watwood Elementary School stands out as the strongest overall performer, ranking in the 64th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating. It excels particularly in 5th grade English (78.95% proficiency vs. 69.53% state average) and 4th grade science (60% vs. 50.23% state average), while maintaining the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the area at 8.5%. Childersburg Elementary School offers complementary strengths, with exceptional 3rd grade performance (56.41% math and 84.62% English proficiency) but weaker 4th grade results. Both elementary schools outperform state averages in most English subjects despite high poverty levels, though math proficiency varies significantly by grade level.

The transition to Childersburg Middle School reveals a dramatic achievement cliff, particularly in math where proficiency plummets to just 10.2% in 8th grade—less than half the state average of 26.36%. The school's overall ranking has declined from 182nd to 272nd in two years, though 8th grade science (50%) approaches the state average and 6th grade English (61.46%) exceeds it. At Childersburg High School, 11th grade math proficiency nearly doubled from 13.46% to 26.25% in one year, though science (22.5%) and English (22.78%) remain well below state averages. The high school maintains a 90.2% graduation rate but struggles with 16.5% chronic absenteeism—significantly higher than the district and state rates of 12.4% and 12.0%, respectively.