Best Public Schools in Zip Code 35671

Zip code 35671 in Tanner, Alabama, is served by a single school, Tanner Elementary School, which educates students in grades PK-5 within the Limestone County school district.

Tanner Elementary School serves a high-poverty community, with 79% of its 338 students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 20% of Alabama elementary schools for the past three years. Test scores from the 2025-2026 school year show proficiency rates well below state averages in most subjects and grades. For example, 3rd grade math proficiency is 20% compared to the state's 44.9%, and 4th grade English proficiency is 27.5% versus the state's 59.5%. The most notable exception is 5th grade, where math proficiency (36.4%) actually exceeds the district average (26.5%) and nearly matches the state average (39.1%), while 5th grade English proficiency (63.6%) comes close to the state's 69.5%. This suggests a particularly strong 5th grade cohort or teacher, but also highlights a concerning pattern where younger grades struggle significantly more.

Performance is highly volatile from year to year, with dramatic swings such as 4th grade math dropping from 36.5% to 17.7% and 5th grade English jumping from 43.2% to 63.6%. This instability may reflect small class sizes where individual student performance heavily influences percentages. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism is just 8.5%, well below the state average of 12.0%, indicating strong attendance habits despite the high poverty rate. English proficiency is consistently higher than math across all grades, suggesting literacy instruction may be a relative strength. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.2:1 and per-student spending of $9,885, the school has resources to work with, but the persistent achievement gaps in early grades and the declining state ranking indicate that other schools in Alabama are improving at a faster pace. Parents should be aware that while 5th grade shows promise, the foundational skills in 3rd and 4th grade need significant attention.