Summary:
Zip code 36312 in Ashford, Alabama, is served by three public schools within the Houston County district, which collectively educate about 1,397 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
For parents, the standout school in this area is clearly Ashford Elementary School, a 4-star school that consistently outperforms state averages by wide margins. In 3rd grade math, for example, 71.3% of students are proficient compared to the state average of 44.9%, and its 5th grade English proficiency rate of 73.7% also leads the pack. The elementary school also has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.5%. The middle school, Ashford Middle School, shows promise in specific areas—particularly 8th grade science, where 60.6% of students are proficient versus the state's 54.1%—but its math scores are more mixed, with 6th grade math (34.7%) essentially matching the state average. The area of concern is Ashford High School, a 3-star school where 11th grade proficiency rates fall below state averages in math, English, and science. The high school also struggles with a 17.3% chronic absenteeism rate—more than three times the district average of 5.3%—yet still manages a strong 94.5% graduation rate, higher than both the district and state.
The most striking pattern is the academic drop-off as students advance. While the elementary school outperforms state averages by 15-26 points in math, that advantage nearly vanishes by middle school and disappears by high school. All three schools serve similar socioeconomic populations (60-66% free/reduced lunch), so poverty alone doesn't explain the differences. The high school's combination of low test scores, high absenteeism, and high graduation rates suggests students may be graduating without fully mastering grade-level content. For parents, this means the elementary years are a clear strength, but the secondary schools—particularly the high school—present challenges that warrant closer attention and possibly advocacy for additional support.
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