Summary:
Zip code 35490 in Vance, Alabama, is served by two public schools within the Tuscaloosa County district, covering grades PK-8 with a combined enrollment of 1,189 students and no local high school option.
Vance Elementary School is the clear standout in this area, outperforming Brookwood Middle School across nearly every metric despite serving a slightly higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (51.66% vs. 48.78% free/reduced lunch). The elementary school excels in 4th grade science with 46.27% proficiency—exceeding the district average of 42.53%—and posts strong 5th grade English scores at 67.16%, nearly matching the state average. Vance Elementary also benefits from better operational resources, including a lower student-teacher ratio (14.9:1 vs. 19.9:1) and significantly higher per-student spending ($8,576 vs. $6,930). Its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.6% is below both district and state averages, and the school has shown positive momentum in its state ranking, improving from the 24th to 29th percentile.
In contrast, Brookwood Middle School faces serious academic challenges, particularly in mathematics where proficiency rates hover around 10% for 7th and 8th graders—roughly one-third of state averages. The school's ranking has slipped to the 21st percentile, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.3% exceeds both district and state benchmarks. While both schools struggle with math compared to English, the gap is most pronounced at the middle school level, where 8th grade math proficiency (9.6%) trails 8th grade English (39.2%) by nearly 30 percentage points. Parents should note the significant year-over-year volatility in test scores at both schools, which may indicate inconsistent instructional quality. The absence of a local high school means students face a disruptive transition after 8th grade, and the resource disparity between these two schools within the same district warrants attention from families evaluating educational options in this area.
Thank you for your feedback!