Summary:
Zip code 36904 in Butler, Alabama, is served by two schools within the Choctaw County school district: Choctaw County Elementary (grades PK-6, 295 students) and Choctaw County High School (grades 7-12, 231 students). Both schools serve a predominantly low-income population, with roughly 77% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and the district overall ranks in the bottom tier of Alabama school systems.
Academically, these schools face significant challenges, particularly in mathematics. At Choctaw County Elementary, math proficiency drops dramatically as students advance, from 25.81% in 3rd grade to just 3.23% by 6th grade—a staggering decline. The high school shows a similar crisis, with only 6.06% of 11th graders proficient in math and 6.45% in English. English scores are consistently higher than math across all grades, with 7th grade English (48.65%) coming closest to the state average (55.25%). The elementary school's ranking has also slipped from the 16th percentile to the 5th percentile over two years, while the high school fluctuates between 0 and 1 stars. Chronic absenteeism at both schools (17.6% elementary, 15.2% high school) exceeds the state average of 12%, and the high school's graduation rate of 86% falls below the state's 91.5%.
Despite these struggles, there are bright spots. Science proficiency in 8th grade (25.49%) far outpaces math (3.92%) at the same level, and per-student spending of roughly $11,000 is not dramatically below state norms, suggesting resources aren't the primary issue. The relative strength in early-grade English and 7th-grade literacy indicates that targeted math interventions in grades 4-6, where the steepest declines occur, could make a meaningful difference. Parents should be aware that while the schools face serious academic hurdles, the consistent performance in certain subjects and grades offers a foundation for potential improvement.
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