Summary:
Zip code 36571 in Saraland, Alabama, is served by two elementary schools within the highly-rated Saraland City district, which together enroll 1,591 students across Pre-K through 5th grade.
Saraland Elementary School (grades 2-5) is the clear academic standout, ranking 23rd out of 686 elementary schools in Alabama (top 4%). Its 2025-2026 proficiency rates are exceptional: English Language Arts averages 88.69% across grades 3-5, while Math averages 76.87%, both roughly 20-40 points above state averages. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.7%, well below the district (9.4%) and state (12.0%) averages. Notably, over half of its students (50.58%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school still achieves top-tier results, suggesting effective instructional strategies. In contrast, Saraland Early Education Center (Pre-K through 1st grade) has a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 12.9%, which is common for younger children, but benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (16.5 vs. 18.3) and higher per-student spending ($9,106 vs. $8,262), reflecting a strategic investment in early foundational learning.
Academic performance at Saraland Elementary is consistently strong and improving. While ELA scores dipped slightly from 2024-2025 (89.27% average) to 2025-2026 (88.69%), Math improved across all grade levels, and 4th-grade Science proficiency jumped dramatically from 70.8% to 82.76%. The district's approach is cohesive: it allocates more resources to the Early Education Center to manage smaller classes and mitigate attendance challenges, preparing students for the rigorous upper elementary environment. This feeder pattern creates a seamless pathway where students transition from a nurturing early education setting to a high-achieving elementary school, making the Saraland City district a model of educational excellence in Alabama.
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