Summary:
Zip code 35660 is home to just one high school, Sheffield High School, a small public school serving grades 9-12 with 305 students in the Sheffield City district.
For parents considering this area, the most important story is one of dramatic recent improvement. In the 2025-2026 school year, Sheffield High School jumped from the 18th to the 32nd percentile in state rankings, earning a 2-star rating after two consecutive 1-star years. Test scores across all subjects saw remarkable gains: math proficiency more than tripled from 5.56% to 19.18%, science rose from 12.96% to 23.29%, and English improved from 11.76% to 19.18%. Despite this progress, the school still trails state averages by 8-15 percentage points in each subject, with the English gap being the largest. The graduation rate of 80% also sits 11.5 points below the state average of 91.5%.
The school faces significant challenges, particularly with attendance. Chronic absenteeism stands at 26.2% — more than double the state rate of 12% — which likely undermines academic progress and contributes to the achievement gaps. With 70.82% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, this is a high-poverty school, though it benefits from a reasonable 15:1 student-teacher ratio and relatively high per-student spending of $17,582. The positive momentum from the latest year is encouraging, and if the school can address its attendance crisis while maintaining academic gains, it could continue climbing the rankings. However, sustained intervention will be critical for long-term success.
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