Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 36107

Zip code 36107 in Montgomery, Alabama is served by two elementary schools—Highland Gardens Elementary School and Highland Avenue Elementary School—both part of the Montgomery County district, which ranks in the bottom 20% of Alabama districts. Both schools serve grades PK-5 with similar enrollments (468 and 453 students) and high poverty rates, with roughly 79% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Highland Gardens is the clear standout in this area, outperforming Highland Avenue across nearly every academic metric. In 2025-2026, Highland Gardens posted significantly higher math proficiency rates—32.94% in 3rd grade versus just 10.00% at Highland Avenue, and 25.00% versus 3.85% in 5th grade. English scores also favored Highland Gardens, particularly in 5th grade where 46.48% of students were proficient compared to 34.62% at Highland Avenue. Highland Gardens has also shown year-over-year improvement, climbing from the 8th percentile to the 14th percentile in state rankings, while Highland Avenue ranks in the bottom 2% of Alabama schools (673rd of 686). Notably, Highland Gardens achieves these results despite having a higher student-teacher ratio (18.7:1 vs. 16.7:1) and higher chronic absenteeism (27.4% vs. 18.5%), suggesting that instructional quality and school culture may matter more than resources alone.

Both schools face significant challenges relative to state averages, with proficiency gaps of 20-40 percentage points in most subjects. However, there are some bright spots: both schools perform relatively better in English than math, and 4th grade science scores are nearly identical (21.05% at Highland Gardens vs. 22.03% at Highland Avenue), suggesting more consistent instruction in that subject. Highland Gardens shows a "U-shaped" math pattern—strong in 3rd grade, dipping in 4th, then recovering in 5th—while Highland Avenue's math performance collapses by 5th grade. For parents, Highland Gardens appears to offer a more promising educational environment, though both schools would benefit from targeted interventions, particularly in mathematics.