Wicksburg Elementary School, Newton AL

Original Research by School Decision on Wicksburg Elementary School

Wicksburg Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural community of Newton, part of Houston County in southeastern Alabama. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that is moderate for an elementary building serving this grade span. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students and a very small presence of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. Just over two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a share that places the school in a mixed-income profile.

Academically, Wicksburg Elementary turns in results that are strong by most measures. On the state’s ACAP assessments for the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates in English language arts were consistently high across grades three through six, with every grade exceeding the four-fifths mark. Math results showed more variation. Third graders posted a strong math proficiency rate, but fourth through sixth graders landed in a range that is solid but lower, roughly half to three-fifths proficient. Science, tested only in fourth grade, came in above the three-fifths level. When all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single proficiency index, the school’s performance sat in the top quartile among schools and districts in Houston County, a meaningful distinction given the county’s overall academic landscape. Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate, and the data provided does not include chronic absenteeism figures or discipline records, so those dimensions cannot be assessed here.

The school’s peer environment is shaped by its rural setting. Newton is a low-density farming community with minimal commercial development, a small downtown anchored by a public library and a Civil War monument, and housing that is modestly priced relative to national benchmarks. Home values in the area have appreciated at a moderate pace. The town has seen little growth in recent decades, and the school’s enrollment likely draws from the surrounding agricultural area as well as from families connected to nearby Fort Rucker. Houston County Schools, the district that oversees Wicksburg Elementary, has in recent years adopted a new reading curriculum aligned with the Alabama Literacy Act’s Science of Reading approach, a change that directly affects early elementary classrooms and matters to parents of younger children given the state’s third-grade retention requirement. The district has also expanded pre-K access, which is relevant for families considering entry points.

The data does not include information about specific programs such as gifted education, special education services, English learner supports, or extracurricular offerings at Wicksburg Elementary. Parents seeking details on course access, staffing ratios, or specialized instruction would need to follow up directly with the school or district.

For families considering housing in the area, the combination of a small-town residential character, a school with consistently high literacy results and competitive overall proficiency, and a district that is actively updating its early literacy approach presents a straightforward academic pathway through the elementary years. The math outcomes in upper elementary, while not weak, are an area a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand how the curriculum supports students as they move from third to fourth grade and beyond. The school serves only through sixth grade, so families will eventually need to consider middle school options within Houston County. The limited local economy and slow growth mean that most employment opportunities lie outside Newton itself, but for those who work in the region or value a quiet rural setting, Wicksburg Elementary offers a strong instructional foundation.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 382%

School 82% · District 71% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 66% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 58% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 57% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 83% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 78% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 76% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 71% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median

Science

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 51% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

This schoolHouston 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

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income88%Higher-income92%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income77%Higher-income91%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income80%Higher-income89%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income76%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income64%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income74%37 pp gap