Summary:
Zip code 35579 in rural Oakman, Alabama, is served by a single elementary school, Oakman Elementary School, which educates students from Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade with a total enrollment of 356 students.
As the only elementary school in the area, Oakman Elementary School provides the sole educational option for families here. The school’s most impressive statistic is its chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.9%, which is dramatically lower than the 11.0% rate for the Walker County district and the 12.0% state average. This exceptional attendance suggests a highly engaged community and a positive school climate. Academically, the school shows a notable split by grade level. In 4th grade mathematics, 52.38% of students are proficient, which exceeds both the district (44.33%) and state (42.07%) averages. However, 3rd grade math proficiency is just 29.79%, well below the district’s 40.58% and state’s 44.89%. English language arts is a relative weakness, with 3rd grade proficiency at 57.45% and 4th grade at 49.21%, both trailing state averages by roughly 7-10 percentage points. In science, 4th graders achieve 57.14% proficiency, surpassing the state average of 50.23%.
With 55.9% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a majority low-income population, yet still manages near-state-average performance in several areas. The school holds a 2025-2026 state rank of 380 out of 686 schools (45th percentile, 2 stars), placing it slightly below its district’s 49th percentile ranking. The divergent grade-level patterns—strong growth in math from 3rd to 4th grade but a decline in English—suggest different instructional emphases across grade levels. For parents, this school offers a safe, consistently attended environment with pockets of academic strength, particularly in upper-grade math and science, though literacy instruction appears to be the primary area needing improvement.
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