Summary:
Zip code 36758, serving the Plantersville, AL area, is home to two public schools within the Dallas County school district, which is ranked in the bottom 10% of Alabama districts.
For parents, the most important takeaway is the stark contrast between the two schools. JE Terry Elementary School is the clear academic bright spot, serving grades K-6 with 110 students. Despite having a higher poverty rate (85.5% free/reduced lunch), its students significantly outperform district averages in nearly every subject. For example, 6th-grade math proficiency (31.58%) is more than triple the district rate (10.11%) and nearly matches the state average. The school also boasts an excellent chronic absenteeism rate of just 9.2%, better than the state average of 12.0%. In contrast, Dallas County High School (DCHS) is struggling significantly. Serving grades 9-12 with 334 students, its proficiency rates are drastically below state averages—11th-grade math is just 12.05% versus the state's 23.71%. DCHS also has a severe chronic absenteeism problem at 21.6%, nearly double the state average, which is likely a major factor in its low performance.
The data reveals a potential "feeder pattern" problem. If JE Terry students are well-prepared, they should enter DCHS with a solid foundation, yet the dramatic drop in proficiency (e.g., from 31.58% in 6th-grade math to 12.05% in 11th-grade math) suggests students lose ground during their secondary years. While DCHS does have a graduation rate of 87.1%, above its district average, it still lags the state's 91.5%. Interestingly, JE Terry spends more per student ($12,312) than DCHS ($9,853), possibly reflecting a strategic investment in early education. Both schools have favorable student-teacher ratios (around 14:1), but the high school's attendance crisis and academic deficits suggest it may need additional resources to address its unique challenges.
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