Demopolis, Marengo, Hale are the only Black Belt systems to earn more than a C on latest statewide report card

The Demopolis City Schools, Marengo County and Hale County school systems are the only Black Belt systems to get higher than a C in the latest Alabama State Report Card released by the Alabama State Department of Education last week.

The report card, which was posted to the Alabama State Department of Education website on Dec. 14, gives school systems an overall grade and numerical scores in the areas of academic achievement; student improvement in reading, English and math; career or college readiness; graduation rate; and the percentage of students who miss 18 or more days of school (chronic absenteeism).

Demopolis City Schools received a B with a score of 85, the same as in 2022. In 2023 Demopolis schools received a 64.4 in academic achievement, 96.2 in academic growth and an 88 in college and career readiness, up from 84.8 in 2022. The system saw a slight decrease in chronic absenteeism with a score of 20.3.

Marengo County Schools received a B with a score of 86, which is an improvement over its 2022 score of 81. Marengo County Schools improved in every category, although it also saw a slight increase in chronic absenteeism.

Hale County earned a B with score of 80, the same grade and score it received in 2022. Hale County schools received a 46.6 in academic achievement, 90.6 in academic growth and 79.9 in college and career readiness, down from 83.4 in 2022. The system decreased chronic absenteeism to 15.4, down from 17.8 the year before.

Dallas County Schools earned a C with a score of 75. That’s up from a D grade and a score of 69 last year. The system increased in every category, including a jump from a college and career readiness score of 37.3 in 2022 to 69.1 in 2023. Absenteeism creeped up from 29.7 to 33.8. Read more Dallas County scores and comments from Superintendent Anthony Sampson here.

Selma City Schools slipped from 2022 grade of C with a score of 72 to a D with an overall score of 67 for 2023. Selma City Schools saw a decline in every category except in chronic absenteeism, a category where you want a lower percentage. The percentage of students who missed 18 or more days of school almost doubled from 17.6 in 2022 to 32.31 in 2023. College and career readiness dropped from 63.5 to 57.8. Read more about Selma School System scores and comments from Superintendent Zickeyous Byrd here.

Wilcox County Schools earned a C with a score of 70, a decline from its score of 75 in 2022. Academic achievement saw a slight improvement, but academic growth dropped from 95.9 in 2022 to 89.6 in 2023, and the graduation rate dropped from 88.5 to 75.6. However, chronic absenteeism decreased to 19.5 in 2023, compared to 27.4 in 2022. 

Perry County School System earned a C with a score of 73, an improvement over its score of 70 in 2022. The system improved in academic achievement and academic growth but saw a significant jump in college and career readiness, with a score of 84.3 in 2023 compared to 49.5 in 2022. 

Breakthrough Charter School in Marion, which is not part of the Perry County school system, earned an F with a score of 57, a decline from its 2022 score of a D and a score of 66. For 2023, Breakthrough had an academic score of 41.5, an academic score of 82.3. Both scores were significant declines over the 2022 scores. Chronic absenteeism was 40.2, an improvement over its 2022 score of 53.3.

Montgomery County Schools earned a D with a score of 67, compared to a grade of C and a score of 74 in 2022. The system showed an increase in academic achievement (43.8 in 2023 compared to 43.6 in 2022) but declined in academic growth and college and career readiness. The graduation rate dropped from 84.5 in 2022 to 67.3 in 2023. 

“We want everyone to be aware of what is going on in the schools across our state. We are committed to providing easily manipulative online tools that show rich, detailed data in a way that is intuitive, simple, readable, and parent-friendly,” Mackey said. “This is a useful resource for anyone interested in Alabama’s public education data.”

Mackey said parents, educators, and the public alike can use the Report Card to learn more about what is happening inside of all Alabama public schools. He hopes the Report Card will be used to jumpstart conversations about what is working in public schools as well as identifying areas that may need support and/or additional resources.

Both the state and federal report cards can be accessed here.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story did not include Hale County Schools or Demopolis City Schools. The Black Belt News Network is pleased to set the record straight.