Summary:
Zip code 36865, serving the Loachapoka area of Alabama, contains just two schools within the Lee County district: Loachapoka Elementary School (grades PK-6) and Loachapoka High School (grades 7-12), together serving 609 students in a high-poverty area where roughly 8 in 10 students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Both schools struggle academically, but the high school is in a particularly steep decline. Loachapoka High School has fallen from the 46th percentile to the bottom 12% of Alabama high schools in just two years, with 11th grade English proficiency at just 10.4% and 11th grade science at 6.1% — both more than 30 points below state averages. The elementary school is more stable but persistently low, never rising above the 26th percentile in three years. Its math scores run 10-29 points below state averages across all grades, and 4th grade science lags by 26 points. The one bright spot is 3rd grade reading, where proficiency (64.9%) actually matches the state average — but those gains evaporate by 4th grade, when proficiency plunges to 32.3%.
There are some positives worth noting. Chronic absenteeism at both schools (8.7% elementary, 11.3% high school) is below the state average of 12%, meaning students are showing up. Class sizes are also small (13.2:1 elementary, 10.6:1 high school). However, the high school spends $20,320 per student — nearly double the elementary school's $11,072 — yet ranks in the bottom 12% of the state, suggesting that money alone isn't solving the problem. The graduation rate of 81.4% trails the state by 10 points. For parents, the picture is clear: these schools face significant challenges, particularly in science and upper-grade English, and while early reading shows promise, the overall trajectory — especially at the high school — is deeply concerning.
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