Schools in Zip Code 35096

Schools in zip code 35096, serving the Lincoln, Alabama area within the Talladega County district, include three public schools covering grades PK-12 with a combined enrollment of nearly 2,000 students.

For parents, the standout school in this area is Charles R Drew Middle School, which ranks in the 85th percentile statewide and earns a 4-star rating. This is particularly impressive because it serves the highest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (58.26%) yet still achieves math proficiency rates nearly double the district average in 7th grade. It also has remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 6.8%, less than the state average. In contrast, Lincoln Elementary School has seen a dramatic decline, falling from the 67th to the 40th percentile over two years, making it the school of greatest concern. Lincoln High School remains stable but underperforms academically, though it boasts a strong 96.4% graduation rate that exceeds both district and state averages.

The most pressing issue is the significant drop in academic performance between middle and high school. While 8th graders at Drew Middle achieve 34.87% proficiency in math and 74.34% in English, 11th graders at Lincoln High achieve only 18.87% and 23.57% respectively—a 46% decline in math and 68% decline in English. Additionally, chronic absenteeism jumps from 6.8% at the middle school to 18.6% at the high school, which is 55% higher than the state average. English proficiency is a relative strength across all schools, consistently outperforming math by 20-30 percentage points. The middle school achieves the best results with the lowest per-student spending ($7,557), suggesting efficient resource allocation, while the high school spends the most ($10,014). The elementary school's volatile math scores and declining ranking warrant immediate attention, and the district should look to the middle school's success as a model for improvement.