Schools in Zip Code 36116

Zip code 36116 in Montgomery, Alabama, is served by 12 schools—7 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, and 1 alternative—educating roughly 5,906 students across the Montgomery County and LEAD Academy districts, with a predominantly low-income population where free/reduced lunch rates range from 37% to 90%.

The standout schools here are the magnet programs. MacMillan International at McKee is the top elementary school, ranking in the 94th percentile statewide with 98.59% 5th grade English proficiency and just 7.7% chronic absenteeism—the lowest in the area. At the high school level, Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School ranks in the 91st percentile with a 97.8% graduation rate, while Booker T Washington Magnet High School achieves a perfect 100% graduation rate and ranks in the 81st percentile. These three schools dramatically outperform the rest of the area, which sits in a district ranked in the 19th percentile statewide. By contrast, neighborhood schools like Fitzpatrick Elementary School and Brewbaker Middle School struggle, with chronic absenteeism above 28% and math proficiency in the single digits.

The most striking pattern is the middle school cliff: math proficiency plummets from a median of 18% in elementary grades to just 5% in middle school, with McKee Middle School and Brewbaker Middle both ranking in the bottom 11% of Alabama middle schools. Chronic absenteeism is the hidden crisis—the district's 25.2% rate is more than double the state average, and schools with the highest absenteeism consistently show the lowest scores. Interestingly, per-student spending doesn't predict success: MacMillan International at McKee spends the least ($8,108 per student) yet achieves the best results, while Booker T Washington Magnet High School spends the most ($12,350) but doesn't outperform MacMillan. For parents, the magnet schools clearly offer the strongest educational outcomes, while the neighborhood schools face significant challenges tied to poverty and attendance that will require targeted intervention.