Schools in Zip Code 35178

Vincent, Alabama (zip code 35178) is home to two schools within the Shelby County district, serving a combined 844 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in a predominantly rural, low-income area where roughly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Vincent Elementary School is the clear standout, having surged from the 45th to the 75th percentile in a single year—now earning a 4-star rating. This school is outperforming its demographics in dramatic fashion: 5th grade English Language Arts proficiency hit 80.36%, beating both the district (81.33%) and state (69.53%) averages, while 3rd grade ELA jumped an incredible 25.89 points to 78.13%. Science is also a strength, with 4th graders scoring 67.19% proficiency versus the state's 50.23%. By contrast, Vincent Middle High School remains a 3-star school with more modest gains, though it excels in science too—8th graders hit 63.49% proficiency (state: 54.12%) and 11th graders reached 46.43% (state: 36.17%). The high school also maintains a 91.4% graduation rate, nearly matching the state average despite its challenges.

The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism at Vincent Middle High School, where 22.8% of students are chronically absent—double the district and state rates of 11-12%. This likely explains the "middle school dip" in math, where proficiency drops from 29.03% in 6th grade to 24.53% in 7th before recovering. The elementary school, meanwhile, has a healthy 10.2% absenteeism rate and is now beating district averages in several subjects despite serving a higher-poverty population. With the elementary school spending $12,873 per student versus $14,092 at the secondary level, the district's challenge is clear: replicate the elementary school's successful strategies—particularly around attendance and early literacy—at the middle/high school level to unlock similar gains across all grades.