Best Public Schools in Zip Code 35476

Zip code 35476 in Northport, Alabama, is served by five schools within the Tuscaloosa County district, enrolling 1,930 students across elementary, middle, and alternative education, though notably lacking a traditional high school.

For parents, the standout choice is Echols Middle School, which leads the area with a 3-star rating and ranks in the 64th percentile statewide. Its English proficiency (60%+) is nearly double that of the local elementary schools, and its 8th-grade science proficiency (54.42%) actually exceeds the state average. In contrast, Matthews Elementary School and Crestmont Elementary School both struggle academically, ranking in the bottom 10-12% of Alabama elementary schools, with math proficiency rates as low as 14.71%—less than one-third of the state average. Collins-Riverside Middle School sits in the middle, showing solid 5th-grade English performance (67.68%) despite high poverty levels. The outlier is Lloyd Wood Education Center, an alternative school with exceptionally high per-student spending ($31,538) but a striking 40.8% chronic absenteeism rate—over three times the district average.

Key takeaways for families include a pronounced poverty-achievement gap, as the two highest-poverty elementary schools show the weakest results. Attendance clearly matters: Crestmont Elementary has the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.5%) in the area, while Collins-Riverside Middle also benefits from strong attendance. Spending does not predict success—the lowest-spending school (Echols Middle at $6,871 per student) is the top performer. Finally, with no traditional high school in the zip code, students face a transition after 8th grade to schools outside 35476, which may disrupt the educational pipeline and contribute to the district's overall 2-star rating.