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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 35611

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At a glance

Schools

2,794

Students

Districts

Top rankedAthens Intermediate School255^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Athens Intermediate School up 9 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Blue Springs Elementary School 16.4 students per teacher

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Summary:

Zip code 35611 in Athens, Alabama is served by 6 elementary schools spanning grades Pre-K through 5th grade, split between the Athens City and Limestone County districts, with a combined enrollment of 2,794 students.

For parents, the standout choice in this area is Brookhill Elementary School, which leads all PK-3 schools with 3rd grade math proficiency at 59.34% and English at 79.12%—dramatically outpacing district averages of 40.96% and 65.68%, respectively. It also has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (41.32%) among its peers. In contrast, James L Cowart Elementary School struggles significantly, with 3rd grade math at just 33.33% and English at 51.85%, both well below district and state averages, while also carrying the highest chronic absenteeism rate (11.4%) and a 69.28% free/reduced lunch rate. The achievement gap between these two schools is a striking 26 percentage points in math, despite nearly identical per-student spending ($12,330 vs. $12,048), highlighting that factors beyond funding—like attendance and socioeconomic status—drive outcomes. For grades 4-5, Athens Intermediate School is the consistent performer, with 5th grade math (44.48%) and English (73.43%) both exceeding state averages, and it operates efficiently at $8,556 per student, well below the PK-3 average.

Notable concerns include Blue Springs Elementary School, which shows a troubling 5th grade math decline to 27.78% from 42.39% in 3rd grade, despite strong 5th grade English (75%). Year-over-year, Julian Newman Elementary School saw a dramatic 15.4-point drop in math (55.42% to 40.00%), while Athens Elementary School improved in both subjects. The district's unique PK-3 to 4-5 feeder structure means students transition to Athens Intermediate, where 4th grade math scores (35.71%) lag the average 3rd grade performance of feeder schools (44.07%), suggesting a possible curriculum rigor increase or transition challenge. Overall, Brookhill and Athens Intermediate emerge as the strongest options in their respective grade bands.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Athens Intermediate School	Public	4-5	1916 Us Hwy 72 W	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Athens City	No	No	No	No	(256) 230-2880	641	36	17.8	55.9%	305 (47.6%)	127 (19.8%)	157 (24.5%)	9 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.2%)	62.7	255^th of 686 public elementary schools	62.8%		61.5	264^th of 680 public elementary schools	61.2%	9		35.7	44.5	59.3		67.2	73.4	$8,556	$1,308	$7,248
Athens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	515 N Madison St	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Athens City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 233-6609	474	29	16.6	67.5%	160 (33.8%)	82 (17.3%)	194 (40.9%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.1%)								(n/a)	43.6				63.8			$11,217	$2,596	$8,621
James L Cowart Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	1701 W Hobbs St	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Athens City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 233-6627	332	20	16.6	69.3%	121 (36.4%)	94 (28.3%)	91 (27.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (7.5%)								(n/a)	33.3				51.9			$12,048	$1,663	$10,384
Julian Newman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	601 S Clinton Street	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Athens City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 233-6630	409	23	17.7	44.5%	216 (52.8%)	64 (15.6%)	71 (17.4%)	16 (3.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.5%)								(n/a)	40.0				68.7			$12,072	$1,697	$10,374
Brookhill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	320 Brookhill Dr	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Athens City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 233-6603	380	22	17.6	41.3%	250 (65.8%)	67 (17.6%)	39 (10.3%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)								(n/a)	59.3				79.1			$12,330	$1,541	$10,789
Blue Springs Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	16787 Hardy Road	Athens	35611	Limestone County	Limestone County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 729-4092	558	34	16.4	70.8%	368 (65.9%)	28 (5.0%)	114 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.1%)	46.2	387^th of 686 public elementary schools	43.6%		46.2	382^nd of 680 public elementary schools	43.8%	5	42.4	39.1	27.8	50.0	59.8	46.0	75.0	$10,891	$2,149	$8,728

Cities Near Zip Code 35611

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Athens	0.14 mi	15	173^rd
Tanner	4.49 mi	2	273^rd
Elkmont	9.15 mi	2	199^th
Harvest	9.61 mi	7	103^rd
Madison	11.21 mi	15	17^th

See the top AL Alabama cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.