The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Centre Elementary School
Centre Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade and is one of the elementary campuses in the Cherokee County school system, located in the town of Centre, Alabama. As a regular public school that is not a charter or magnet, it provides a general education program for the youngest students in the area. Because the school only serves grades up through fourth, there is no graduation rate to report, and the academic picture comes entirely from state assessments given in the grades it does cover.
The school’s student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial share of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a marker of the economic context families are navigating. The school’s enrollment is a sizable one for an elementary school serving these grades, and the mix of students reflects the broader demographics of Cherokee County, a rural area where the town of Centre serves as the county seat and a hub for government, education, healthcare, and lake-oriented recreation tied to Weiss Lake.
On state testing, the results present a mixed picture that a parent would want to examine closely. In English language arts, a strong majority of third graders met the proficiency bar, and a smaller but still solid majority of fourth graders did as well. In math, the proficiency rates were notably lower in both tested grades, with fewer than half of students scoring proficient. In science, which is tested in fourth grade, half of students reached the proficiency threshold. These results suggest that the school’s literacy instruction is a relative strength compared to math, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about how math support is structured, particularly for students who are not yet meeting benchmarks. The data available covers only a single school year, so no trend over time can be assessed.
The school operates within the Cherokee County district, and the district brief turned up little in the way of recent notable changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or construction projects that would be of immediate interest to a parent. That absence does not mean nothing is happening, but it means publicly reported information on district-level shifts was not found in the search. The town of Centre itself is described by its own promotional materials as a growing community, and it has a modest population growth trend. Housing values in the area sit below the state average, and the cost of living relative to incomes is fairly manageable, which may be a factor for families considering a move into the district.
The school’s setting in Centre places it in a low-density, car-oriented town where the school campus sits separately from the traditional downtown around the Cherokee County Courthouse. Civic anchors include the courthouse, a historical museum, parks, and Weiss Lake, which draws tourism and recreation. Major employment in the area is split across education and healthcare, public administration, manufacturing, and retail. For a family considering this school, the takeaway is that Centre Elementary offers a standard public elementary education in a small-town, rural setting, with literacy results that are generally solid and math results that are notably weaker and worth understanding better through a conversation with the school. The community context is one of modest growth, a lake-based recreation economy, and a relatively affordable housing market.
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