Summary:
Zip code 36553 is home to just one high school, McIntosh High School, a small rural school serving grades 6 through 12 with 175 students in the Washington County district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that McIntosh High School faces significant academic challenges, but it also shows some resilience. The school ranks in the bottom 7% of Alabama high schools (354th out of 380) and has a 2-star rating. Test scores are consistently far below district and state averages across all subjects. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, 0% of 7th and 8th graders were proficient in math, and only 3.85% of 11th graders met math standards. Even the strongest subject, 8th-grade science, saw just 23.81% proficiency compared to the state's 54.12%. English scores are also low, with 11th-grade proficiency at 8.33% versus the state's 33.73%. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 36.3%—more than three times the state average of 12.0%. This likely plays a large role in the low academic performance. The student body is also economically disadvantaged, with 77.71% eligible for free or reduced lunch.
On a more positive note, the school's graduation rate is 90.9%, nearly matching the state average of 91.5%. This creates a notable paradox: students are graduating at a normal rate despite very low test proficiency, which may suggest that graduation requirements are not fully reflecting academic mastery. The school also spends $12,207 per student, which is a meaningful investment. However, scores fluctuate significantly from year to year—8th-grade English jumped from 8.33% to 33.33% in one year, while 7th-grade English dropped from 34.62% to 4.00%. This volatility is common in small schools, where a single cohort can dramatically shift results. Overall, McIntosh High School is a school in need of comprehensive support, particularly around attendance and targeted academic intervention, but it does show some strengths in keeping students on track to graduate.
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