Schools in Zip Code 35964

Zip code 35964 in Douglas, Alabama, is served by four schools in the Marshall County district, enrolling 2,373 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades, in a community where a majority of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

For parents, the standout story here is Douglas Middle School, which excels in 8th-grade science with a 56.98% proficiency rate—beating both the district (45.68%) and the state (54.12%)—and improved by over 10 points in a single year. However, this same school struggles significantly in math, where proficiency drops to just 14-17% by 6th-8th grade, a steep decline from the 36% seen in 3rd grade at Douglas Elementary School. Douglas High School shows a mixed picture: its ranking fell sharply from the 68th to 44th percentile, yet math scores actually improved slightly, and it maintains a solid 90.2% graduation rate. Robert D Sloman Primary serves the youngest students (PK-2) with the best student-teacher ratio (15.1:1) and very low chronic absenteeism (3.4%).

Across all four schools, chronic absenteeism is remarkably low—between 2.9% and 4.3%—compared to the 12% state average, indicating strong community engagement. English proficiency shows a "recovery" pattern, dipping in 4th and 7th grades before rebounding in 5th and 8th grades. A notable equity concern: Douglas Elementary School serves the highest-poverty population (73.13% free/reduced lunch) yet receives the lowest per-student funding ($8,651), about $2,400 less than the high school. While the district ranks in the bottom third of Alabama, the science success at the middle school and the district's excellent attendance suggest targeted math interventions and more equitable funding could drive meaningful improvement.