Summary:
In zip code 35953, there is just one elementary school, Ashville Elementary School, which serves grades PK through 4 and has an enrollment of 476 students in the St Clair County district.
For parents considering this area, Ashville Elementary School presents a mixed picture of strengths and challenges. The school's biggest asset is its English Language Arts program, where proficiency rates consistently outperform both district and state averages by a wide margin—for example, 75% of 3rd graders were proficient in English in the most recent year, compared to about 65% statewide. Science scores are also respectable, remaining above the state average. However, mathematics is a significant concern. Math proficiency has dropped dramatically in the last year, falling from 53% to 36% in 3rd grade and from 52% to 31% in 4th grade. This sharp decline has pulled the school's overall state ranking down from the 72nd percentile to the 52nd percentile. The student-teacher ratio is favorable at 14.8:1, and chronic absenteeism (10.7%) is below the state average. About 55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a majority low-income population, yet the school's English results show that it is successfully overcoming socioeconomic barriers in that subject.
The most pressing issue for this school is the recent math crisis, which appears subject-specific rather than school-wide, given that English scores remained stable or even improved during the same period. Parents should know that while literacy instruction is clearly a strength, the school likely needs targeted intervention in math to reverse the steep decline. The volatility in year-over-year performance also suggests that outcomes can vary significantly, so it would be wise to monitor future data closely. Overall, Ashville Elementary School offers strong literacy education and a supportive learning environment, but families should be aware of the current math challenges and ask the school about its plans for improvement.
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