Summary:
Zip code 35401 in Tuscaloosa, AL is served by 6 schools in the Tuscaloosa City district, including four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, enrolling nearly 3,000 students in a predominantly low-income area.
For families, the standout option is University Place Elementary School, the only school in the zip code with a 2-star rating. It leads all local elementary schools in both math (41.2% proficient) and English (58.6% proficient), and it has shown remarkable improvement, jumping from the 23rd to the 40th percentile in state rankings over the past two years. Central Elementary School is the most improved school overall, climbing 110 ranking positions to reach the 30th percentile. Oakdale Elementary School and Martin L King Junior Elementary School trail behind, with math proficiency around 28% and English proficiency near 50-54%. The biggest concern is Westlawn Middle School, which ranks in the bottom 13% of Alabama middle schools with just 10.1% math proficiency and 28.6% English proficiency. Central High School also struggles, with only 9.6% of 11th graders proficient in math and a graduation rate of 81.5%.
Several patterns stand out. All four elementary schools improved their state rankings recently, suggesting positive momentum at that level, but there is a dramatic performance cliff when students reach middle school. Science proficiency is a universal weakness across all grade levels, lagging far behind state averages. Chronic absenteeism varies widely—from just 1% at Central Elementary to a troubling 31.8% at Central High. Notably, higher per-student spending does not correlate with better outcomes; Central High spends the most yet performs the worst. For parents, the elementary schools offer hope, particularly University Place, but the transition to secondary education presents significant challenges that families should be prepared to address.
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