Summary:
Zip code 35670, serving the Somerville, Alabama area, is home to three schools within the Morgan County district, including one high school and two K-8 elementary schools, with a total enrollment of 1,687 students.
For parents, the standout school in this area is Albert P Brewer High School, which has shown consistent improvement in its state ranking over three years and leads in science proficiency (45.78% vs. the state's 36.17%). However, it faces challenges with chronic absenteeism at 15.8% and a graduation rate of 89.7% that trails the district's 94.3%. Among the elementary schools, Union Hill School is the academic powerhouse, particularly in 8th grade where it achieves 81.25% English proficiency (far above the state's 58.53%) and 65.63% science proficiency. It also has excellent attendance with only 7.5% chronic absenteeism. Cotaco School excels in early-grade literacy, with 3rd-grade English at 73.17% exceeding state averages, despite having the highest economic disadvantage rate at 61.44%.
A key takeaway is that all three schools outperform state averages in science, a notable strength given their higher-than-average economically disadvantaged populations. However, both elementary schools show a dramatic drop in math proficiency between 6th and 7th grades—Union Hill falls from 63.41% to 18%, and Cotaco from 18.75% to 23.53%—suggesting a systemic transition problem in mathematics. Interestingly, per-student spending does not correlate with performance: Cotaco receives the most funding ($12,127) but ranks lowest, while Union Hill receives the least ($10,115) yet outperforms in most metrics. This suggests school culture and instructional quality matter more than raw funding. Overall, families will find strong science programs and pockets of excellence in literacy, but should be aware of the middle-grade math challenges and the high school's attendance issues.
Thank you for your feedback!