Summary:
Zip code 35125 in Pell City, Alabama, is served by two public elementary schools, Iola Roberts Elementary School and Eden Elementary School, both part of the Pell City district and serving grades K-4 with similar student-teacher ratios around 15:1.
For parents, the standout choice is Iola Roberts Elementary School, which is the higher-performing school in nearly every category. It holds a 4-star rating and ranks 119th out of 686 elementary schools in Alabama, placing it in the top 17% statewide. In contrast, Eden Elementary School has a 3-star rating and ranks 239th. Iola Roberts outperforms Eden in 9 out of 10 subject-grade combinations, with particularly strong results in Science (72.29% proficient vs. 62.32% at Eden) and 4th-grade Math (55.42% vs. 42.86%). Iola Roberts also has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 4.6%, less than half the district average of 9.5%, while Eden's rate is 7.1%. Both schools serve a high-need population, with over 73% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet they maintain attendance rates well below the state average of 12%.
One of the most interesting findings is that spending does not correlate with performance. Eden Elementary School spends more per student ($9,242) than Iola Roberts Elementary School ($8,450), yet achieves significantly lower academic results. Both schools have improved their state rankings since 2023-2024, but Iola Roberts has made a dramatic leap from 203rd to 119th, while Eden has climbed from 457th to 239th. Iola Roberts' high performance is a major driver of the Pell City district's strong 4-star rating, particularly its standout Science scores, which far exceed state averages. For parents, Iola Roberts offers a clear academic advantage, while Eden remains a solid, improving option with lower rankings but a positive trajectory.
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