Kermit Johnson School, Pinson AL

Original Research by School Decision on Kermit Johnson School

Kermit Johnson School is a regular public elementary school in Pinson, Alabama, serving grades three through five. It is part of the Jefferson County school system, one of the largest districts in the state. The school sits in a primarily residential suburb of Birmingham, a community that retains a small-town feel despite ongoing suburban expansion. The town itself was formed by combining several earlier settlements and has seen steady population growth in recent decades.

The student body reflects the surrounding area’s racial and economic diversity. More than half of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of overall household income levels. The roughly even split among Black, Hispanic, and White students, along with smaller shares of multiracial and Asian students, gives the school a broad mix of backgrounds. Because Kermit Johnson serves only upper elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing data is the primary available measure of academic performance.

State assessment results from the most recent year show a mixed picture. Reading proficiency reaches a majority of students in grades four and five, while grade three reading is slightly below that mark. Math proficiency is notably lower across all three grade levels, with roughly a quarter of students meeting the state standard. Science, tested only in grade four, sits between the two. Taken together, overall proficiency across tested subjects places the school above the midpoint when compared with other elementary schools in Jefferson County, suggesting solid relative performance. The math weakness, however, is a pattern a parent may want to explore further with the school, especially if a child struggles in that subject.

Only a single year of test results is available, so no trend can be described. The school’s program offerings, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism rates, and discipline data were not reported, and neither were special education or English learner counts. These gaps limit the picture a family can get from the data alone.

Pinson itself offers a mix of natural and civic anchors. Turkey Creek Nature Preserve provides nearby outdoor recreation, and the annual Alabama Butterbean Festival draws visitors. The community is car-dependent, with state highways serving as the main corridors. Housing costs in the area are moderate, somewhat below the national median, and rents are similarly positioned. The local housing market has seen appreciation in recent years, consistent with metro-area growth. Most residents commute to jobs in the broader Birmingham region, as no single major employer is located in Pinson.

Kermit Johnson School serves as one of several campuses in town, with other elementary and secondary schools spread across separate sites. For families considering the area, the school offers a diverse, above-average academic profile within its county, though math performance is an area where additional support may be needed. The broader district has not recently announced major structural changes, so the current configuration appears stable.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 31% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 31% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 53% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 53% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 59% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 33% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above 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-income41%Higher-income59%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income49%Higher-income57%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income70%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income20%Higher-income30%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income29%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income34%13 pp gap