The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on University Charter School
University Charter School is a public charter school district in Sumter County, Alabama, serving students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade. As a single-campus charter system with an elementary and a secondary school, it functions as its own local education agency, and it is the only district in Sumter County that the state data profiles. That county-level isolation means no within-county comparison is available; the district stands alone in its peer set.
The district enrolls a student body that is roughly balanced between white and Black students, with a small share of multiracial and Hispanic students and very few Asian or Native American students. The school serves all grade levels, and enrollment is distributed fairly evenly from kindergarten through eighth grade, with somewhat smaller cohorts in the high school years. Free or reduced-price lunch data was not reported in the available records, so the share of students from low-income households is not captured here.
On state assessments for the 2024-25 school year, the district shows a clear pattern. English language arts proficiency rates are a relative strength: in grades three through five, roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of students met the proficient benchmark, and seventh grade posted a similar level. Sixth and eighth grade ELA results dropped below the half mark, though still higher than the district’s own math results. Math proficiency is more modest across all tested grades, with the highest rate in fourth grade at around half of students proficient and a steady decline in the upper elementary and middle school grades. Eighth grade math proficiency was about a quarter of students. Science results, tested in grades four and eight, showed fourth graders at just over half proficient and eighth graders below two-fifths. The district’s overall combined proficiency across subjects and grades, considering only one year of data, is a single snapshot without a trend to compare against.
The district brief, drawn from publicly reported news coverage, adds important context for families. In August 2023, University Charter School opened a substantial new campus in Livingston for grades four through twelve, with a full-court gym, a tornado shelter, dedicated spaces for career exploration in health sciences and marketing, a student-run coffee bar, and a lunchroom. Before that, the school lacked a cafeteria. This facility expansion was paired with the renewal of the school’s charter by the Alabama Public Charter School Commission in fall 2022, which extends the district’s operating contract and signals state-level confidence in its governance.
The district graduated its first senior class in May 2023, with about three-quarters of those seventeen graduates going to college and the rest entering jobs or apprenticeships. That milestone gives early evidence of postsecondary pathways but represents a very small cohort. No four-year graduation rate from state data is available yet, likely because the district is still building its track record at the high school level.
For a family considering this district, the picture is one of a young, growing charter system that has invested in physical infrastructure and program variety while still establishing its academic baseline. The elementary and middle school ELA results are encouraging, while math performance warrants attention from parents who want to understand how the school supports students who struggle in that subject. The lack of economic data and discipline or attendance figures means some dimensions of school climate and student support are not visible here; a parent may want to ask the school directly about those areas. The district’s small size, single-campus structure, and recent maturation through high school make it a choice that suits families who prefer a close-knit environment and are comfortable with an institution still building its track record.
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