U.S. News and World Report is out with its ranking of the best elementary schools and middle schools in Alabama.
This year’s rankings were determined by the proficiency of students in mathematics and reading based on state assessments scores and how well students from different socioeconomic backgrounds performed. The list also took into account the ratio between students and teachers if there was a tie between equally proficient scores.
The report did not list schools nationally as it does with high schools, and instead created rankings at the state and district levels, as well as state rankings specific to charter and magnet schools.
“The 2024 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer a way for parents to get a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it’s doing within its community,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved.”
In Alabama, Crestline Elementary School in Mountain Brook was named the best elementary school in the state, while Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia Hills was named the best middle school.
Notably, Crestline has the second lowest poverty rate of any school in the state at 2%, while Pizitz has the 16th lowest rate at 16%, according to 2023-2024 school-level poverty data from the Alabama State Department of Education. High proficiency levels are typically correlated with low student poverty levels, and these rankings reflect that with few exceptions.
Here are the top-ranked 10 elementary schools in Alabama:
- Crestline Elementary School - Mountain Brook City
- Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science - Mobile County
- Mt Laurel Elementary School - Shelby County
- Forest Avenue Elementary School - Montgomery County
- Cherokee Bend Elementary School - Mountain Brook City
- East Elementary - Vestavia Hills City
- Barkley Bridge Elementary School - Hartselle City
- Saraland Elementary School - Saraland City
- Cahaba Elementary School - Trussville City
- Brookwood Forest Elementary School - Mountain Brook City
Here are the top-ranked 10 middle schools statewide:
- Pizitz Middle School - Vestavia Hills City
- Liberty Park Middle School - Vestavia Hills City
- Fairhope Middle School - Baldwin County
- Homewood Middle School - Homewood City
- Oak Mountain Intermediate School - Shelby County
- George W Long High School (Grades 7-12) - Dale County
- Phillips Preparatory Middle School - Mobile County
- Liberty Middle School - Madison City
- Mountain Brook Junior High School - Mountain Brook City
- Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School - Jefferson County
See AL.com’s analysis of how proficient students in different school districts are on science, math and reading here.
Among Alabama’s charter schools, University Charter School in Livingston was ranked as the state’s best elementary charter school followed by Davis Elementary School in Montgomery and Legacy Prep in Birmingham. University Charter was also ranked 74 overall in the list of best Alabama middle schools.
The top magnet middle schools were Phillips Preparatory Middle School in Mobile followed by Baldwin Art and Academics Magnet in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa Magnet Middle in Tuscaloosa City. The top magnet elementary schools were Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science in Mobile, followed by Forest Avenue Elementary in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary in Tuscaloosa City.
The rankings include more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools across the country. See all rankings here.