Summary:
Zip code 35901 in Gadsden, Alabama, is served by 6 schools—4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school—spanning the Gadsden City and Etowah County districts, with a total enrollment of about 2,136 students.
The standout school in this area is Eura Brown Elementary School, which ranks in the top 5% of Alabama elementary schools with a 5-star rating. It achieves 100% proficiency in 3rd grade English, math proficiency rates roughly double the state average, and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at just 3.3%. At the other end of the spectrum, Thompson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10% with a 0-star rating, declining each year and posting a 4.88% math proficiency in 4th grade—the lowest score in the dataset. The middle and high schools fall in between: Gadsden Middle School shows a sharp drop in 8th grade math (21.6%) compared to 7th grade (40.4%), while Gaston High School boasts a 100% graduation rate but alarmingly low 11th grade proficiency (5.7% math, 13.5% English). W E Striplin Elementary School and Gaston Elementary School sit in the middle, with Gaston Elementary outperforming Striplin in most subjects.
Poverty and attendance are powerful predictors of success here. Schools with higher free/reduced lunch rates and chronic absenteeism—like Thompson (81.25% poverty, 27.8% absenteeism) and Striplin (84.75% poverty)—consistently score far below Eura Brown (32.65% poverty, 3.3% absenteeism). Notably, Thompson spends the most per student ($11,365) yet has the worst outcomes, while Gaston Elementary spends the least ($7,023) and performs better, suggesting funding alone doesn't drive results. Grade-level proficiency also declines as students advance across multiple schools, indicating cumulative learning gaps. For parents, choosing a school within this zip code can mean a difference of 50+ percentile points in outcomes, with Eura Brown being the clear top choice.
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