Summary:
Zip code 36049, serving the Luverne, Alabama area, is home to just one school: Luverne High School, a PK-12 institution within the Crenshaw County district that enrolls 745 students.
For parents considering this area, Luverne High School presents a mixed picture. The school's early elementary grades are a clear bright spot: 3rd graders achieve 66% proficiency in math and 84% in English, both well above state averages. However, this strong start fades dramatically by middle school. Math proficiency plummets to just 14.63% in 5th grade and 13.95% in 7th grade, both roughly 20 points below state benchmarks. This "3rd grade peak" pattern suggests the school builds solid foundations but struggles to sustain academic growth through upper elementary and middle school. The school also faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism (21.8%, nearly double the state rate) and a graduation rate of 77.1%, which trails the state average of 91.5% considerably. On a positive note, 11th grade science proficiency (40.38%) exceeds both district and state averages, and the student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1 is favorable.
With 68.32% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, Luverne High School serves a high-poverty population, yet its early elementary results prove that poverty doesn't preclude success. The most critical weakness is middle school math, where scores consistently lag 10-20 points behind state averages—likely a key driver of the low graduation rate. Year-to-year performance is also highly volatile, with 6th grade math dropping from 42% to 22% in a single year, possibly reflecting small cohort sizes or student mobility. While the school's overall trajectory is concerning, the exceptional early grades and improving high school science scores suggest that targeted interventions in grades 4-8 could yield substantial improvements for this community.
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