The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Phil Campbell Elementary School
Phil Campbell Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a single building in the small, rural town of Phil Campbell, Alabama. The school is part of the Franklin County district. It is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status.
The student body is predominantly white, with a modest Hispanic population and very small numbers of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the working-class character of the community. The school draws its enrollment from the town itself and the surrounding rural areas of Franklin County. Phil Campbell is a town that has been shaped by recovery from a devastating tornado years ago, which destroyed many homes and the former high school; a replacement high school was later built. The town has a compact layout along the highway and a small historic downtown strip. The elementary school sits on the state highway within the town's footprint, and a campus of Northwest-Shoals Community College is also located in Phil Campbell. The housing market in this part of Alabama is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks.
On state assessments, which in Alabama are the ACAP tests, the school's results show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the school produces a clear strength. Rates of proficiency are solid across the tested grades, with the highest share of students meeting the bar in fifth grade and the lowest in fourth grade, but all grade levels show rates that indicate a majority of students are on track in reading and writing. In math, the results are lower across the board, with proficiency rates that are below half of students in every tested grade from third through sixth. The highest math performance is in third grade, and the figures decline somewhat in the upper elementary grades. In science, which is tested only in fourth grade, about half of students met the proficiency standard.
Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the two districts in Franklin County. Because the comparison set is only two districts, that is a narrow frame. The school has one year of testing data available, so there is no trend line to show whether performance is improving or declining. The school serves only grades PK through six, so there is no graduation rate to report, as that metric applies only to high schools.
A parent looking at this school will find an elementary program with a notable strength in English language arts and an area of concern in mathematics. The math proficiency figures are low enough that a parent may want to ask the school directly about its math curriculum, intervention strategies, and how the school supports students who are not yet meeting the benchmark. The school's small size and rural setting mean that students come from a relatively homogeneous community, and the town itself has limited commercial development and a quiet, slow-growth trajectory. For families whose priority is a school with a strong reading program in a small-town environment with affordable housing, Phil Campbell Elementary has clear assets. For families who want a school with higher overall math performance or a wider range of program offerings, the data suggests they should investigate further. The school does not appear to offer any specialized magnet or choice programs, and no information was available about course access, staffing ratios, or discipline patterns.
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