Chalkville Elementary School, Birmingham AL

Original Research by School Decision on Chalkville Elementary School

Chalkville Elementary School is a regular public school in Jefferson County, Alabama, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Its address is a Birmingham mailing address, and it sits within the Jefferson County school district. The school draws its student body from the surrounding suburban and unincorporated areas east of downtown Birmingham.

The student population is large for an elementary school, and it is demographically concentrated. The vast majority of students are Black, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and a very small share of White students. A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the share of students with Individualized Education Programs and the share who are English learners was not available for this profile. The school is not a charter school, and its magnet and Title I status were not specified in the available data.

On the Alabama state assessments, administered as the ACAP, the school’s proficiency rates are well behind state averages. In English language arts, about a third of third graders scored proficient, along with a similar share of fourth graders, and a somewhat higher share of fifth graders. In mathematics, proficiency rates are lower across the board, with roughly one in six third graders scoring proficient, about one in five fourth graders, and about one in ten fifth graders. In fourth grade science, roughly one in four students reached proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency index, which combines results across tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint among elementary schools in Jefferson County. Only a single year of testing data was available for this school, so there is no trend to report on whether performance is improving or declining.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism was also not provided.

The available housing data for the area around the school shows a market that is relatively affordable when compared to national benchmarks. Home values are below both the state and national medians, and typical rents are also below the national median. The estimated monthly cost of owning a home, after a standard down payment, is lower than the typical monthly rent, which is an uncommon pattern and may signal that buying is more attainable than renting in this particular ZIP code. The broader Birmingham area is a major regional economic hub with a diversified economy anchored by healthcare, banking, and finance, though the city itself has experienced gradual population decline and faces competition from its suburbs.

No recent district-level changes or initiatives for Jefferson County that would be of lasting interest to parents were identified in the available search. The district brief found little to report.

For a family considering Chalkville Elementary, the academic picture is a central consideration. Proficiency rates, particularly in math, are well below where many parents would hope to see them, and the school's performance is on the lower end when compared with other elementary schools in the county. A parent may want to look into what academic supports, interventions, and enrichment programs the school offers to understand how the school addresses these challenges. The peer environment reflects a student body that is predominantly Black and from households with lower incomes, which is an important characteristic for families to consider in terms of the experience their child will have. The housing market in the area is more affordable than many parts of the country, which is a practical factor for families looking to buy or rent.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 31% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 31% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 28% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 53% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 53% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 59% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 33% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolJefferson 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-income34%Higher-income43%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income61%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income19%12 pp gap