Summary:
Zip code 36908 is home to just one elementary school, Southern Choctaw Elementary School, a small rural school in Gilbertown, Alabama, serving 288 students in Pre-K through 6th grade within the Choctaw County district.
For parents considering this area, Southern Choctaw Elementary is a school of notable contrasts. It shows genuine strengths, particularly in early grades and science. Third-grade English Language Arts proficiency (72.73%) exceeds the state average, and 4th-grade science proficiency (59.38%) is remarkably strong, nearly double the district rate and well above the state. The school also improved its overall state ranking from the 28th to 40th percentile, earning a 2-star rating. However, mathematics is a significant weakness, with proficiency lagging state averages at every grade level. The most concerning figure is 5th-grade math, where only 12.2% of students are proficient compared to the state's 39.06%. There is also a clear pattern of declining performance in upper grades, particularly in ELA, where proficiency drops from 72.73% in 3rd grade to 42.86% in 6th grade.
Despite being in a district ranked in the bottom 16% of Alabama, this school consistently outperforms district averages in nearly every subject, suggesting effective school-level practices. Its chronic absenteeism rate (10.9%) is lower than both the district and state, which is positive given that over 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. With a 16:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $10,403, the school operates with modest resources. The dramatic year-over-year gains in 4th-grade science (+37 points) and 6th-grade math (+26 points) indicate that targeted interventions can work, but the 5th-grade math decline and upper-grade slump remain critical areas needing attention.
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