Summary:
Zip code 36280 in Woodland, Alabama, is served by two public schools within the Randolph County district, together educating 616 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in this small, rural community along Highway 48.
For parents, the standout choice in this area is clearly Woodland Elementary School, which delivers strong English Language Arts results across all grade levels, exceeding state averages by 5 to 14 percentage points. Its 5th grade reading proficiency of 81.8% is particularly impressive, and the school also outperforms state averages in 4th grade science. While elementary math scores trail state averages in the upper grades, the school's overall trajectory has improved, climbing from the 54th to the 72nd percentile before settling at the 59th percentile. In contrast, Woodland High School faces significant academic challenges, with math proficiency rates dramatically below state levels—most alarmingly, only 2.4% of 8th graders scored proficient in math, compared to 26.4% statewide. The high school also lags in English and science, though it maintains a strong 93.1% graduation rate that exceeds both district and state averages.
The most striking pattern is the achievement cliff between the two campuses: elementary students outperform state averages in reading and science, but those gains evaporate by middle school. This suggests a transition problem or differing instructional quality between the schools. Notably, the high school spends nearly $5,500 more per student ($13,308 vs. $7,851) yet produces far weaker outcomes, raising questions about resource allocation. Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism (13.3% elementary, 14.6% high school, vs. 12.0% statewide), which likely contributes to the high school's difficulties. While the district ranks in the bottom third of Alabama, the elementary school proves that success is possible within this context—its strategies could serve as a model for the high school to reverse its current trends.
Thank you for your feedback!