Summary:
Zip code 35768 is home to one elementary school, Caldwell Elementary School, which serves grades 1 through 3 in the Scottsboro City district, enrolling 579 students in a small-town Alabama setting.
Caldwell Elementary School is the only elementary option in this zip code, making it the central focus for families with young children. The school has shown a strong upward trajectory in state rankings, climbing from the 39th percentile (2 stars) in 2015-2016 to the 66th percentile (3 stars) by 2017-2018, a 27-point improvement in just two years. Academically, the school demonstrates a clear strength in English, with 66.27% of 3rd graders proficient in the most recent testing cycle, exceeding the state average of 64.75%. However, math proficiency lags notably at 47.93%, still slightly above the state's 44.89%, but creating an 18.34 percentage point gap between subjects. Year-over-year trends are mixed: math improved by 2.12 points while English declined by 4.67 points, suggesting shifting instructional priorities or cohort differences. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.1:1, class sizes are moderate, and per-student spending is $9,935.
One area of concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 13.1%, exceeding both the district and state averages of 12.0%. Given the school's early grade span (1-3), addressing attendance now could have outsized benefits for long-term academic success. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 57.69% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, yet it still achieves above-state-average English proficiency—a notable accomplishment. For parents, this means Caldwell Elementary School offers a solid foundation in reading and language arts, with room for growth in math, and a school that has demonstrated significant improvement in recent years despite socioeconomic challenges.
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