Best Public Schools in Zip Code 36870

Summary:

The 36870 zip code area is home to two schools, Central High School and Central Freshman Academy, both serving students in the Phenix City school district. While the schools share some similarities, they also exhibit distinct differences in their performance, demographics, and resource allocation.

Central High School is a traditional high school that ranks 159 out of 374 Alabama high schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school maintains a 90% four-year graduation rate and a 14.8% chronic absenteeism rate. However, it performs below the state average in 11th-grade proficiency for Math, Science, and English. The school serves a high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 73.6% and spends $12,035 per student.

In contrast, Central Freshman Academy is an alternative school serving 9th-grade students. While it also maintains a 90% four-year graduation rate and a 14.8% chronic absenteeism rate, it has an even higher percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 81.69%. The school spends $8,359 per student, which is lower than the per-student spending at Central High School. Additionally, Central Freshman Academy has a lower student-teacher ratio of 17, compared to 20.8 at Central High School.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)	Summative Assessment Science (2025)	Summative Assessment English (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central High School	Public	9-12	2400 Dobbs Dr	Phenix City	36870	Russell County	Phenix City	No	No	No	No	(334) 298-3626	1,579	85	18.5	56.4%	329 (20.8%)	1,006 (63.7%)	162 (10.3%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	72 (4.6%)	54.1	159^th of 374 public high schools	57.5%		60.1	124^th of 378 public high schools	67.2%	35	19.8	30.8	27.3	$12,035	$1,574	$10,441
Central Freshman Academy	Public, Alternative	9	2800 Dobbs Drive	Phenix City	36870	Russell County	Phenix City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 448-8780	513	32	16.1	61.2%	100 (19.5%)	336 (65.5%)	51 (9.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.5%)								(n/a)				$8,359	$954	$7,385

Cities Near Zip Code 36870

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Phenix City	0.67 mi	14	207^th
Smiths Station	5.38 mi	6	95^th
Fort Mitchell	7.6 mi	2	190^th
Seale	12.29 mi	4	239^th
Opelika	14.45 mi	14	162^nd

See the top AL Alabama cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.