Best Public Schools in Zip Code 36580

Zip code 36580, located in Summerdale, Alabama, is served by a single public school, Summerdale School, which educates students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade as part of the Baldwin County school district.

Summerdale School is a combined elementary and middle school with 615 students, and it stands as the only educational option in this area, meaning the entire community's academic experience is tied to this one institution. The school serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, with 64.23% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. On a positive note, its chronic absenteeism rate of 10.9% is actually better than both the district (11.2%) and state (12.0%) averages, suggesting students are consistently attending class despite economic challenges. The student-teacher ratio is 17.4:1, which is slightly higher than the national average, and per-student spending is $11,278. The school's state ranking has been volatile, dropping from the 48th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 35th percentile in 2025-2026, placing it at 448th out of 686 schools in Alabama with a 2-star rating.

Academically, the school shows a clear split between subjects. In English Language Arts, 3rd and 5th graders perform at or above state averages (63.24% vs. 64.75% state, and 75% vs. 69.53% state respectively), indicating strong early literacy instruction. However, mathematics proficiency is consistently below district and state averages at every grade level, with particularly alarming gaps in 4th grade (14.29% vs. 48.08% district) and 7th grade (9.38% vs. 34.56% district). A dramatic "4th grade slump" is visible across all subjects, with math proficiency dropping from 30.88% in 3rd grade to 14.29% in 4th grade, and English dropping from 63.24% to 41.27%. Science scores also lag, with 4th grade at 34.92% versus the district's 59.51%. While the school benefits from being part of the highly-ranked Baldwin County district (ranked 33rd out of 139 districts), these results highlight a critical need for targeted math intervention and support for upper-grade students.