Summary:
Zip code 36758 is home to a single elementary school, JE Terry Elementary School, a small, rural K-6 school in Plantersville, AL, serving 110 students within the Dallas County school district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that JE Terry is a school of contrasts. On one hand, it has a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.7:1, which allows for more individualized attention, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.2% is notably better than both the district (17.2%) and state (12.0%) averages. The school also consistently outperforms its home district in English Language Arts across all grade levels, and its 4th-grade science proficiency (29.41%) is nearly double the district average. However, the school's overall state ranking has fallen dramatically, from a 4-star rating (191st out of 680 schools) in 2022-2023 to a 1-star rating (506th out of 680) in 2024-2025. This decline is puzzling given the strong attendance and class size metrics, suggesting it may be tied to changes in testing or student population rather than engagement.
Academically, there is a clear split between subjects. In English, proficiency ranges from 47% to 55%, which is within 10-15 points of the state average. In math, however, the school struggles more significantly, with proficiency ranging from just 10% in 5th grade to 31.58% in 6th grade. That 6th-grade math score is a standout anomaly—it is triple the district average (10.11%) and nearly matches the state average (33.97%), possibly indicating an exceptional teacher or a targeted intervention worth replicating. With 85.45% of students on free/reduced lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population, yet it still manages to beat its district in several key areas. This suggests JE Terry is not failing for lack of effort, but rather fighting an uphill battle against systemic socioeconomic challenges, making it a potentially stronger choice within a struggling district.
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