Best Public Schools in Zip Code 35601

Zip code 35601 in Decatur, Alabama, is served by the Decatur City school district and contains 14 schools, including nine elementary schools, one middle school, three high schools, and one alternative school, with a total enrollment of roughly 5,546 students.

For parents, the standout school in this area is Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School, which ranks in the top 5% of all elementary schools in Alabama and dramatically outperforms every other school in the zip code, with 3rd grade English proficiency at 93.6% compared to the state average of 64.8%. The next tier of strong performers includes Eastwood Elementary School and Walter Jackson Elementary School, both of which rank in the top 40% of the state. On the other end of the spectrum, West Decatur Elementary School and Oak Park Elementary School struggle significantly, with West Decatur ranking in the bottom 11% of Alabama schools and showing math proficiency rates below 25%. At the secondary level, Decatur Middle School shows a notable strength in 8th grade science (51.3% proficiency), while Decatur High School has a strong graduation rate of 93.7% but concerningly low 11th grade proficiency rates in math (22.8%) and English (24.4%).

One of the most encouraging findings is that chronic absenteeism across the district is just 6.0%, half the state average of 12%, with Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School posting an exceptional rate of just 1.3%. However, the zip code reveals a clear two-tier system, with a gap of 84 percentile points between the top-performing and lowest-performing elementary schools. Interestingly, per-student spending does not correlate with outcomes—Woodmeade Elementary School spends the least at $9,103 per student yet outperforms Oak Park Elementary School, which spends $14,212 per student. The district also shows a positive trend at Austin Junior High School, an alternative school where math proficiency actually exceeds the district average, suggesting effective support for students who have struggled in traditional settings.