Summary:
Zip code 35645, encompassing the Killen, AL area, is home to just one elementary school, Brooks Elementary School, which serves grades PK through 6 within the Lauderdale County district.
For parents in this area, Brooks Elementary School is a strong, consistently high-performing option. The school has maintained a 4-star rating for three consecutive years and currently ranks in the top 25% of all elementary schools in Alabama (172nd out of 686). Its greatest academic strength is English Language Arts, where proficiency rates in every grade level significantly exceed state averages—ranging from 68% in 6th grade to 76% in 4th grade. Math performance is generally solid, with 4th and 6th graders posting proficiency rates near or above 58%, far outpacing state norms. However, there is a notable "5th-grade slump" in math, with proficiency dropping to just 39.5%, a sharp decline from the surrounding grades and a key area for parents to monitor. The school also leads its district, outperforming the Lauderdale County average in 8 out of 9 tested subjects and grades.
Beyond test scores, the school serves a relatively affluent population, with only 32.84% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. One point of concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 17.5%—higher than the state average of 12.0%, though lower than the district's 23.4%. Despite this, the school still achieves strong results, suggesting effective teaching and supportive home environments. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.5 and an enrollment of 874, Brooks Elementary School offers a stable, well-resourced environment. Parents should be aware that year-to-year test scores fluctuate significantly by grade cohort, so a single year's dip (like the 5th-grade math score) may not indicate a systemic issue, but rather the makeup of a particular class.
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