Summary:
Zip code 35647 in Lester, Alabama, is home to just one elementary school, Sugar Creek Elementary School, which serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade with a total enrollment of 631 students.
Sugar Creek Elementary School is a solid choice for families, particularly for those focused on early literacy. The school consistently outperforms its Limestone County district across nearly every subject and grade level, often by wide margins. For example, 4th grade math proficiency is 52.34%, which is 17.56 percentage points higher than the district average. English Language Arts is a clear strength, with 3rd grade proficiency at 67.65% and 4th grade at 61.68%, both exceeding state averages. However, there are some concerns. The most significant is 5th grade math, where only 33.72% of students are proficient—well below the state average of 39.06% and a dramatic drop from the school's own 4th grade math performance. Additionally, chronic absenteeism stands at 13.3%, which is nearly double the district rate of 7.2% and above the state average. This is an area of concern, especially given that nearly 62% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Year-over-year trends show a mixed picture. While 3rd grade math, 5th grade math, 4th grade science, and 3rd grade English all improved, there were notable declines in 4th grade math, 4th grade English, and 5th grade English. The school's state ranking has slipped from the 69th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 56th percentile in 2025-2026, though it has maintained a 3-star rating. With a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.6:1, the school appears well-resourced, but targeted support in upper elementary math and student attendance could help reverse the downward trend and build on its clear strengths in early literacy.
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