Schools in Zip Code 35160

Zip code 35160 in Talladega, Alabama, is served by five public schools—three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—that collectively enroll about 1,819 students across the Talladega City and Talladega County districts, with all schools serving predominantly economically disadvantaged populations (free/reduced lunch rates from 56.9% to 84.4%).

The standout school in this area is Stemley Road Elementary School, which dramatically outperforms its peers—its 3rd-grade math proficiency of 66.67% is nearly triple the rate at C L Salter Elementary School (22.33%) and well above the state average (44.89%). Stemley Road also improved its state ranking from the 24th to 40th percentile in one year, and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism (8.9%) among the elementary schools. In contrast, Talladega High School shows severe challenges, with only 6.9% of 11th graders proficient in math (state average: 27.21%) and a declining state ranking (21st percentile), despite a graduation rate of 88.5%. Evelyn D Houston Elementary School has the best attendance in the district (7.2% chronic absenteeism) but persistently low math proficiency (8-20%), while Raymond L Young Elementary School has the highest absenteeism (20.6%) and declining rankings despite the lowest student-teacher ratio (14.5:1) and highest per-student spending ($11,290).

A consistent "middle school cliff" emerges across all schools—proficiency drops sharply from 3rd grade (math: 22-67%) to 6th grade (0-10%) and remains low through 11th grade (6.9%). The disconnect at Talladega High School between low proficiency and high graduation rates suggests possible grade inflation or credit recovery. The dramatic 44-point jump in 3rd-grade math at Stemley Road, coupled with the district disparity where the single Talladega County school outperforms all Talladega City schools, points to replicable instructional practices worth studying. Notably, spending shows no clear correlation with outcomes—the highest-spending school has the worst attendance, while the lowest-spending school has the best—indicating that how money is spent matters more than how much.