ALA Monroe

ALA Monroe is a small K-8 school in Monroe, North Carolina, serving 237 students in grades K-8. The school is part of the ALA Monroe district, which ranks 214th of 246 districts statewide, and ALA Monroe itself ranks 1,215th of 1,492 North Carolina schools, placing it in the bottom quarter. Families in the Monroe area also have access to nearby Union County Public Schools, a district ranked 43rd in the state.

The most urgent red flag is attendance: 44.1% of ALA Monroe students were chronically absent in 2024-25, nearly double the state average of 24.2% and far above every nearby school, including Walter Bickett Elementary (35.3%) and East Elementary (28.0%). Academic results are also weak in most grades. Just 28.6% of 4th graders and 26.3% of 8th graders are proficient in math, compared with 61.4% and 53.0% statewide. Reading proficiency is a modest 54.2% in 7th grade, nearly matching the state, but only 32.0% of 3rd graders read at grade level, below Walter Bickett Elementary's 36.4%. Science results trail as well: 48.1% of 5th graders and 52.6% of 8th graders are proficient, versus 67.7% and 68.6% statewide.

There are a few bright spots — 3rd-grade math (68.0%) essentially matches the state average, and 7th-grade math improved from 30.8% to 45.8% in one year — but small cohorts can produce large swings from year to year. Notably, several nearby schools in the Union County Public Schools district that serve predominantly low-income populations post stronger scores: Rock Rest Elementary and Sardis Elementary reach 88.6% and 80.7% in 4th-grade math, respectively, while Rocky River Elementary hits 80.0% in 5th-grade science. Another nearby option, Wesley Chapel Elementary, ranks 7th among all North Carolina elementary schools. For families, these comparisons matter; for ALA Monroe, the data highlight an urgent need for attendance support, early reading intervention, and stronger math instruction in the middle grades.