Summary:
ZIP code 36089, serving the Union Springs, Alabama area, is home to three public schools within the Bullock County district, collectively educating roughly 1,327 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in a community where over 85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among the three schools, Union Springs Elementary School stands out as the relative bright spot. It is the only school in the district to earn a 1-star rating, and its 3rd-grade English proficiency rate of 67% actually exceeds the state average of 64.75%—a notable achievement given the district's challenges. However, this success does not carry forward: 4th-grade English proficiency plummets to just 25.7%, and math proficiency falls from 39.8% in 3rd grade to 19% in 4th grade. South Highlands Middle School faces the steepest challenges, ranking in the bottom 4% of Alabama middle schools with math proficiency rates as low as 1.1% for 7th graders. Bullock County High School shows volatile performance, swinging from the 26th percentile to the 9th percentile in recent years, with only 2% of 11th graders proficient in math.
The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism, which affects 55.5% of high school students—nearly five times the state average—and likely contributes to the school's 76.2% graduation rate, well below the state's 91.5%. The middle school also struggles with a 28% chronic absenteeism rate. Resource allocation appears misaligned, with the lowest-performing middle school receiving the least funding at $7,701 per student, while the high school receives $12,016. Despite these systemic issues, the 3rd-grade English success at the elementary school proves that students in this district can achieve at state levels when given effective instruction, offering a foundation for targeted interventions in math and attendance that could reverse the downward trends seen across most grade levels.
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