The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hatton Elementary School
Hatton Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through sixth grade in the Lawrence County school district, located outside the small, rural incorporated town of Town Creek in northwest Alabama. The community sits just south of Wheeler Lake and the Tennessee River, and its largest employment sectors are manufacturing, retail trade, and health care and social assistance. The town has experienced population decline in recent years, and no major new housing developments or growth projects were identified in publicly available sources. The school itself serves a student body that is predominantly White, with a notable share of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native and small numbers of students who are Asian, Black, or Hispanic. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school draws from a rural area where housing values fall below the national benchmark, and the local economy leans on highway-oriented commerce and commuting to larger centers such as Decatur and Muscle Shoals.
Academically, the picture is mixed and worth a careful look. On the Alabama state assessments administered in the most recent school year, Hatton's English language arts results showed a majority of students meeting proficiency standards across grades three through six, with the strongest performance in sixth grade and the lowest in fourth grade. Math results were less consistent, with proficiency rates dropping into the lower range in both fourth and sixth grades, while third and fifth grades saw around four in ten students reaching proficiency. Science was assessed in fourth grade only, and about four in ten students were proficient. The school has only one year of data available for these state tests, so there is no trend to examine, and parents may want to ask the school directly about how these results compare with prior years under different assessments. The comparison set for this school was too small to position it relative to other districts in Lawrence County, so the state results stand as the primary academic reference.
Because Hatton serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on attendance and chronic absenteeism were not available, nor were figures for students with individualized education programs or English learners. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet. Title I status was not reported in the available data. No information on disciplinary incidents, course access, or staffing ratios was provided, so a parent may want to follow up with the school or district office for details on class sizes, special education supports, and enrichment offerings.
The district-level brief turned up no recent changes or strategic initiatives reported in public sources, so little context is available about broader shifts in the Lawrence County system. The rural setting and modest housing costs in the area could appeal to families looking for a small, community-anchored elementary school with a straightforward academic program. The proficiency gaps between ELA and math, particularly the lower math scores in fourth and sixth grades, may be areas a parent would want to discuss with the principal or classroom teachers to understand what interventions or curricula are in place. The school’s size and grade span mean students will transition to a middle school or junior high after sixth grade, so families should also consider the feeder pattern within the Lawrence County district when evaluating the long-term fit.
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