Summary:
Zip code 36048 is home to just one elementary school, Barbour County Intermediate School, which serves grades 2 through 6 and enrolls 227 students in the Barbour County district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Barbour County Intermediate School faces significant challenges. Academic proficiency is well below state averages in every subject. In math, proficiency rates range from just 10.64% in 5th grade to 17.14% in 4th grade, compared to state averages of 35-45%. English scores are somewhat better, ranging from 23.91% in 3rd grade to 45.71% in 4th grade, but still trail the state average of 56-70%. Science proficiency in 4th grade is 25.71%, roughly half the state average of 50.23%. The school also has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 42.7%, meaning over four in ten students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, compared to just 12% statewide. Additionally, 88.55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a highly economically disadvantaged population.
There are a few other notable points. The student-teacher ratio is 18.9:1, which is on the higher side, even though per-student spending is $10,951. This suggests funds may not be going directly to more classroom teachers. Year-over-year test scores show high volatility, which is common in small schools where a single cohort can dramatically shift percentages. For example, 4th-grade math jumped from 2.27% to 17.14%, while 3rd-grade math fell from 30.3% to 13.04%. Because this is the only school in the district serving these grades, its performance entirely drives the district's low 1-star rating. For parents, the clearest path to improvement would be aggressive intervention targeting chronic absenteeism, as missing school at this rate makes academic progress extremely difficult regardless of instructional quality.
Thank you for your feedback!