Choctaw County High School, Butler AL

Original Research by School Decision on Choctaw County High School

Choctaw County High School serves the town of Butler and the surrounding rural areas of Choctaw County in west Alabama. The school covers grades seven through twelve and draws its student body from a small, close-knit community. Butler itself is a small town centered around a historic courthouse square, with a mix of residential and civic functions. The local economy is anchored by the school district, healthcare, and social assistance. The school sits within the town’s fabric, not on a remote campus, and the historic county courthouse acts as a central civic landmark.

The student body is small and predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of white students and very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Housing values in the area are low relative to state and national benchmarks, and prices have been declining. This is a place where families are likely to find affordable housing, but the local economy does not offer the level of wealth or growth seen in more urban parts of Alabama.

Academically, Choctaw County High School faces significant challenges. State assessment results for the most recent school year show that in mathematics, only a very small portion of seventh and eighth graders met proficiency standards. In English language arts, roughly a third of students in those same grades scored as proficient, and in eighth-grade science, about a third reached that bar. These are low attainment levels on the state’s ACAP assessments, and a parent considering this school should understand that the academic foundation in core subjects, especially math, is an area where the school is struggling. There is only one year of testing data available for this school, so no trend can be assessed. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its current improvement strategies and supports for students who are below grade level.

Because the school serves grades seven through twelve, it includes high school grades, but the data did not include a graduation rate. The comparison to other districts in Choctaw County was not possible here because there is only one district in the county, so there is no basis for a local ranking.

No information was available on programs such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education, or extracurricular offerings. A parent seeking a pathway that leads to college credit or trade certification before graduation should ask the school what is available. The data also did not include information on discipline or chronic absenteeism, which are important factors for understanding the school environment. A parent may want to visit the school and speak with staff about these topics.

The district itself appears stable. A search for recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary shifts, new programs, or leadership turnover, turned up none that could be confirmed, so the district is presented here without a narrative of recent upheaval or new direction.

Choctaw County High School is a rural school serving a high-poverty community, with a student body that is almost entirely Black. The academic performance numbers are a clear signal that many students are not yet meeting state proficiency benchmarks, particularly in math. This school may fit a family that is deeply rooted in the Butler area and values a small, familiar setting, but the academic weaknesses are real and merit close attention from any parent weighing their options.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-89%Cohort of 50 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 74%

School 4% · District 6% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 10 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 33% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 31% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median

Science

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 24% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median

This schoolChoctaw 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 7Lower-income5%Higher-income0%5 pp gap