Best Public Schools in Zip Code 35956

Zip code 35956, serving the Sardis City and Boaz areas of Alabama, is home to four public schools within the Etowah County district, enrolling roughly 1,693 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades in a predominantly rural community with moderate-to-high economic need.

For parents, the standout school in this area is Whitesboro Elementary School, which consistently earns 4 stars and ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide. Its 5th-grade math proficiency (66%) is more than five times higher than Carlisle Elementary School's rate (13%), and it also has the lowest chronic absenteeism (9.7%) and the lowest economic need (42.8% free/reduced lunch) in the zip code. Sardis Middle School is the most improved, jumping 111 spots in state ranking over two years, with 8th-grade science now exceeding state averages. However, Sardis High School posts a strong 96.9% graduation rate but struggles with academic proficiency, particularly in 11th-grade math (16.5% vs. 27.2% statewide). Carlisle Elementary is the area of concern, with critically low math scores—just 3% proficiency in 5th-grade math in 2024-2025—despite spending more per student and having better student-teacher ratios than Whitesboro.

Key takeaways include a clear "middle school slide" in math, where proficiency drops from 31.9% in 6th grade to 16.1% in 7th grade at Sardis Middle, continuing into high school. Science is a relative strength across all schools, with even Carlisle beating state averages in 4th-grade science. Chronic absenteeism varies dramatically, from an excellent 5.7% at Sardis Middle to a concerning 19% at Sardis High. Economic disparity strongly correlates with performance, as schools with higher free/reduced lunch rates (Carlisle at 68.8%) tend to have lower outcomes than those with lower rates (Whitesboro at 42.8%). While Whitesboro demonstrates what's possible and Sardis Middle shows improvement is achievable, Carlisle's math crisis and the district-wide decline in upper-grade math represent urgent areas for intervention.