Summary:
Zip code 35769 is home to a single elementary school, Thurston T Nelson Primary School, a small PK-K school in Scottsboro, AL, serving 257 students within the Scottsboro City district.
As the only elementary school in this area, Thurston T Nelson Primary School stands out for its strong academic track record. The school has consistently ranked in the top quarter of Alabama elementary schools, with a notable upward trajectory. It improved from the 75th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 93rd percentile in 2017-2018, earning a 5-star rating at its peak. This indicates a school that has been getting better over time. The school also benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 13.6, which supports more individualized attention, and a high per-student spending of $12,787, suggesting a strong investment in resources. With 42.41% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a diverse socioeconomic population while still achieving high marks, a positive sign for its overall effectiveness.
However, there is one key area of concern for parents to note. The chronic absenteeism rate at Thurston T Nelson Primary School is 16.5%, which is significantly higher than both the district and state averages of 12.0%. This is a 37.5% higher rate than the state, and even in a high-performing school, this can lead to learning gaps for individual students. Since the school only serves grades PK-K, its strong rankings are a measure of early childhood readiness, suggesting that students are entering the district's system with a solid foundation. Overall, this is a high-performing primary school with excellent academics and resources, but the elevated absenteeism rate is something parents may want to monitor.
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