Verbena High School, Verbena AL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Verbena High School

Verbena High School serves the full span of grades from prekindergarten through twelfth grade as a regular public school in the rural community of Verbena, part of the Chilton County district. For a family considering this school, the most critical takeaway lies in its state assessment results, which show a clear and concerning pattern across the grade levels tested. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards declines sharply as grades advance, from a modest level in third grade down to a very low level by eighth grade. English language arts performance is somewhat stronger, particularly in the early grades where a majority of third graders were proficient, but it too settles at a lower level by the upper elementary and middle school years. Science results, available for fourth and eighth grades, also show a low rate of proficiency. Only one year of testing data was available, so there is no trend to examine, but the picture from that single year is of a school where most students are not reaching grade-level benchmarks in core subjects, and where the gap widens through the middle grades. A parent evaluating this school would want to ask the school directly about its academic interventions, curriculum decisions, and any steps being taken to address the performance decline in the upper grades.

The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic minority and a smaller Black population, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a large majority of families face economic constraints. No data on special education or English learner enrollment was provided, so a parent with a child who has an individualized education plan or who is an English learner should follow up with the school about available supports. The school is not a charter or magnet institution, and no information on program offerings, Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual enrollment was included in the available data, so families interested in those options would need to inquire directly.

Verbena itself is a quiet, mainly residential community that has kept much of its late 19th-century rural character. The built environment is spread out along roads, with little walkability, consistent with a rural setting. The town has a post office, several churches, and the school as its primary civic anchors, and many residents commute to nearby Clanton or to Montgomery for work. Housing values in the area are near the statewide median, and the overall economic picture shows a modest mortgage cost relative to income, which may appeal to families looking for a lower-cost area. No major new housing developments were mentioned in the search results, and the community appears to consist largely of permanent residents.

Because the comparison cohort for this school includes only one other district-level entity within Chilton County, it is not possible to position Verbena High School relative to its neighbors on proficiency, graduation rate, or chronic absenteeism. The graduation rate itself was not available in the data provided; since the school serves prekindergarten through grade twelve, that information would normally be reported, and its absence is a gap a parent would want to clarify with the school or district.

In sum, Verbena High School is a small-town, all-grades public school serving a community with a high rate of economic need. The academic achievement data raises clear concerns, especially in middle-grade math and science, and a parent considering this school would be well served by pressing for details on instructional supports, curriculum, and any improvement efforts underway. The setting is rural and quiet, with limited commercial activity and a population that tends to stay put. For a family that values a close-knit, small-town environment above high academic benchmarks, this school may be a fit, but the testing data suggests it is not currently a choice for those prioritizing strong measured outcomes.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-89%Cohort of 36 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 339%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 33% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 25% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 22% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 17% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 82%

School 2% · District 13% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 62% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 54% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 59% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 51% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 49% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Science

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 38% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 25% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median

This schoolChilton 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.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income4%Higher-income0%4 pp gap