The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in English language arts. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Weatherly Heights Elementary School
Weatherly Heights Elementary School is a regular public school in Huntsville, Alabama, serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Huntsville City school district, a system that, as of 2023, shifted to a balanced calendar with an earlier start date, a lasting change families should consider for scheduling and summer plans.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with grades that grow from a small pre-K cohort to larger kindergarten and first-grade groups before stabilizing through the upper grades. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black and Hispanic students, a small Asian population, and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
Academically, Weatherly Heights presents a mixed picture. On the Alabama ACAP assessments from the 2024-25 school year, reading performance stands as a clear strength. Across third, fourth, and fifth grades, proficiency rates in English language arts are consistently strong, with the highest share of students meeting or exceeding benchmarks in fifth grade. Science results, which are tested in fourth grade, are in a moderate range. Math performance is more uneven. Fourth graders show solid math proficiency, but that rate drops noticeably for third graders and falls further for fifth graders, where proficiency is markedly lower. This makes math the soft spot in the school’s academic profile. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint relative to other districts in Madison County, though it does not lead the county. Because this is a single-year snapshot, a parent may want to ask the school about supports for math, particularly in the upper elementary grades.
Weatherly Heights is not a Title I school, and it is neither a charter nor a magnet school. It does not serve grades that have a graduation rate, so that metric does not apply. The school environment and access data, including discipline, course access, and staffing, were not provided, which limits a full picture of student support and school climate.
The school is located in Huntsville, a fast-growing mid-size city anchored by Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the country. Major employers include defense contractors, aerospace companies, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, and a Meta data center. The city’s character is defined by this technology-and-defense economy, giving it a professional and engineering-oriented feel. Downtown hosts cultural venues such as Big Spring Park, the Von Braun Center, and the Huntsville Museum of Art, while the University of Alabama in Huntsville is situated near the research park, separate from downtown. Housing values in the school’s zip code are above the state average and roughly in line with national norms, and rents are moderate relative to incomes, suggesting a reasonably affordable market for a growing city.
This is a school where a parent can expect strong reading instruction and a typical elementary experience in a district that has made a lasting calendar change. The math dip in fifth grade is worth a focused conversation with the school to understand interventions and how students transition to middle school. The community context is one of growth and economic dynamism, with a professional workforce and steady development, so families moving into the area for jobs in aerospace or manufacturing will find a neighborhood school that reflects the broader city’s stable, middle-to-upper-middle-income profile.
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