Summary:
In zip code 35481, there is just one elementary school, Reform Elementary School, which serves grades PK through 4th and has 174 students in the Reform, AL area.
For parents considering this area, Reform Elementary School is part of the Pickens County district, which has a 1-star rating and ranks 102nd out of 139 districts in Alabama. The school shows a clear strength in early literacy, with 3rd-grade English proficiency reaching 75% in 2024-2025, nearly 10 points above the state average. However, there is a notable "4th-grade slump" across all subjects. In 2025-2026, math proficiency drops from 43.75% in 3rd grade to just 18.42% in 4th grade, while English falls from 62.5% to 47.37%. Science proficiency in 4th grade is 34.21%, well below the state average of 50.23%. The school has shown dramatic year-over-year improvement in 3rd-grade math (from 16.67% to 43.75%) and 4th-grade science (from 6.45% to 34.21%), suggesting recent interventions are working, though results remain inconsistent.
One of the most positive findings is the school's low chronic absenteeism rate of 5.4%, which is less than half the district rate (10.1%) and state rate (12.0%). This is particularly notable given that 76.44% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty population. The student-teacher ratio is a favorable 15.4, and per-student spending is $11,280. The school's state ranking has fluctuated, currently sitting at 468th (32nd percentile) after improving from 522nd the previous year. While the school outperforms its district in 3rd-grade math (43.75% vs. 30.34%), it falls significantly behind in 4th-grade math (18.42% vs. 32.52%) and science (34.21% vs. 46.34%). This suggests the school's challenges are specific to the 4th-grade level rather than systemic, making targeted support for 4th-grade math and science the most critical priority for continued improvement.
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