Summary:
Zip code 35956 is home to a single high school, Sardis High School, which serves grades 9-12 in the rural community of Sardis City, Alabama, within the Etowah County school district.
For parents considering this area, Sardis High School offers a mid-sized learning environment with 546 students and a student-teacher ratio of 16.8:1, which allows for more individualized attention than larger schools. The school's most notable strength is its graduation rate of 96.9%, which exceeds both the district (96.5%) and state (91.5%) averages. However, academic proficiency on state assessments lags behind state benchmarks across all subjects. In the most recent testing, only 16.53% of 11th graders were proficient in math (compared to 27.21% statewide), 23.93% in English (vs. 33.73% statewide), and 34.71% in science (vs. 36.17% statewide). Science is the school's relative strength, with proficiency nearly matching the state average, while math represents the most significant area of concern, having declined notably from 21.82% to 16.53% in just one year.
Families should also be aware that chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge, with 19.0% of students missing substantial school days—58% higher than the state average of 12.0%. Nearly half of the student body (48.72%) qualifies for free or reduced lunch, indicating a economically diverse population. The school's state ranking has been volatile, fluctuating between the 37th and 56th percentiles over the past three years, currently sitting at 204th out of 380 schools. Per-student spending is approximately $9,558. While the school's performance generally mirrors its district, the combination of a strong graduation rate alongside below-average test scores and high absenteeism suggests that while students complete their coursework, there may be gaps in academic mastery that parents should investigate further.
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