Spring Garden High School, Spring Garden AL

Original Research by School Decision on Spring Garden High School

Spring Garden High School is a regular public school in Cherokee County, Alabama, serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade under one roof. It sits in the unincorporated community of Spring Garden, a low-density rural census-designated place with no municipal government, no walkable commercial core, and no downtown. The school itself is the community's primary institutional anchor, located on County Road 2. Cherokee County School District operates the school along with several others spread across the county, including a career and technology center.

The student body is small and overwhelmingly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Hispanic and multiracial students make up modest numbers, while Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each account for a very small portion of enrollment. Special population data, such as special education or English learner counts, was not reported in the available records.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year cover grades three through eight in math, English language arts, and science. No testing data is available for high school grades, and only a single year of results is on record, so no trend can be described. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary noticeably by grade. Upper elementary and middle grades show the strongest results, with a majority of students meeting the bar in grades five, six, and eight. Grades three, four, and seven fall below that mark. In math, proficiency rates are lower across the board, with no grade reaching the majority level; most hover in the range of roughly one-fifth to one-third of students proficient. Science results are available for grades four and eight. The fourth-grade rate is relatively low, while the eighth-grade rate is higher but still below the majority threshold. A parent should note that these figures reflect a single snapshot and that the school's high school academic performance, including any state end-of-course exams, is not available in the data set. No graduation rate was reported for the school, so that measure cannot be assessed.

The community of Spring Garden is experiencing a modest population decline, with a shrinking number of residents and limited new housing construction. Housing vacancy is present, and homes are considered affordable relative to broader averages. The area is entirely car-dependent; a historical railroad line that once served the community was abandoned decades ago. No major private employers were identified in the locale; employment likely comes from the school district itself, agricultural work, or commuting to nearby Centre, the county seat. Civic amenities are sparse: a historical marker, the school, and not much else. The district brief for Cherokee County found no recent parent-relevant changes such as curriculum shifts, construction projects, or referendums.

Spring Garden High School fits a family seeking a small, rural PK-12 school in a low-density, quiet setting where the school sits at the center of community life. The student body is economically diverse and overwhelmingly white. Academic performance is mixed, with English language arts showing some bright spots in the upper elementary and middle grades, while math and science scores are generally lower. The lack of high school testing data and graduation rate means a parent should investigate those outcomes directly with the school. For a family that values a single-campus environment from kindergarten through senior year in a slowly shrinking rural community, this school offers a straightforward option with no frills that the available data can confirm.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 39 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

373 schools plotted. 7 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 43% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 30% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 44% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 32% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 24% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 22% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 73% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 58% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 69% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 57% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 55% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Science

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 47% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median

This schoolCherokee County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.