Summary:
Zip code 35171 is served by a single school, Thorsby High School, which is part of the Chilton County district and serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, with an enrollment of 895 students.
Despite its name, Thorsby High School is classified as an alternative school, but it functions as the primary public school for the area, covering all grade levels. The school shows a clear split in performance between early and later grades. In the 2025-2026 school year, 3rd-grade students achieved a standout 78.26% proficiency rate in English, well above the state average of 64.75%, and 4th and 5th graders also met or nearly matched state averages. However, as students move into middle and high school, math and English proficiency generally falls below state averages. One notable exception is 11th-grade science, where 46.03% of students were proficient, significantly exceeding the state average of 36.17%. The most striking data point is the dramatic volatility in 11th-grade scores: proficiency rates jumped from below 11% in all subjects in 2024-2025 to over 41% in math and English and 46% in science in 2025-2026, a swing that warrants further investigation.
On the positive side, the school has a strong climate indicator with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.1%, far better than the state average of 12.0%. The graduation rate is 88.6%, slightly below the state average of 91.5% but close to the district's 90.1%. About 41.68% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating moderate economic need. The student-teacher ratio is 20.2 to 1, which is relatively high and may limit individualized attention. Per-student spending was $9,035 in 2018-2019. Overall, Thorsby High School excels in early literacy and shows pockets of strength in science, but faces challenges in sustaining academic growth through secondary grades, despite excellent attendance and a committed school community.
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