Summary:
Zip code 36323, serving the Elba, Alabama area, is home to two schools within the Elba City school district: Elba Elementary School (grades PK-6) and Elba High School (grades 7-12), serving a combined 603 students. The district holds a 1-star rating, and both schools serve predominantly low-income populations, with roughly 70% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Elba Elementary School is the clear standout, maintaining a stable 3-star rating and performing at or above state averages in several areas. In 3rd grade math, students exceed the state average by over 13 points (58.2% vs. 44.9%), and 5th and 6th grade English scores also surpass state averages. However, the school shows volatility in math scores across grade levels, and 4th grade science proficiency (32.6%) trails the state by 17.6 points. In contrast, Elba High School faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 27% of Alabama high schools despite showing improvement from the bottom 7% three years ago. The high school's math proficiency rates are alarmingly low—just 10% in 7th grade and 9.8% in 8th grade—and 11th grade English proficiency sits at only 11.4%, a 22-point gap from the state average.
The most striking finding is the dramatic academic cliff between elementary and high school, with 3rd grade math proficiency dropping 48 points by 7th grade. Chronic absenteeism at the high school (26.1%) is more than double the state average, likely compounding learning loss. Despite spending $12,527 per high school student, outcomes remain well below state averages. Encouragingly, the high school showed improvement across nearly every subject from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, including an 18-point jump in 11th grade science, suggesting recent interventions may be taking effect. The graduation rate (89.1%) trails the state by 2.4 points, and the district's high spending with modest results raises questions about resource allocation.
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