The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Speake
Speake is a regular public elementary school in the Lawrence County school district, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school is located in Danville, a small, unincorporated rural community in north Alabama. Danville has no traditional downtown and limited walkability; its character is defined by low-density residential properties, farmland, and open landscapes. Residents typically drive to nearby towns for shopping and services, and many commute to larger employment centers such as Decatur or Huntsville. The area is affordable relative to national benchmarks, with housing costs below the national average, and the community appears to be a stable, family-oriented residential area.
The school itself is small, with an enrollment that fits that description for its pre-K-to-sixth-grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black students, American Indian or Alaska Native students, and Hispanic students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need in the school community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records.
State assessment data from the 2024-25 school year shows a varied picture of academic performance across grades and subjects. In English language arts, results were stronger. A solid majority of third, fourth, and fifth graders met proficiency, with fourth graders performing particularly well. Sixth-grade results were lower, with just over half of students reaching the proficiency bar. In mathematics, the pattern was markedly different. Proficiency rates declined steadily from third grade through sixth grade, with each successive grade showing a lower share of students meeting the standard. By fifth and sixth grade, the rates were quite low, meaning a clear majority of students in those grades were not demonstrating grade-level proficiency in math. Science results, available for fourth grade only, showed that a slim majority of students were proficient.
Because this is a single year of data with no prior-year comparison available, it is not possible to assess whether these results represent an improving or declining trend. The overall math picture, especially in the upper elementary grades, is a soft spot that a parent may want to explore further with the school. The ELA results in the early grades are a relative bright spot, though the drop-off in sixth grade bears watching.
The comparison set for this school was too small to position it against other districts in Lawrence County, so readers cannot gauge how Speake stacks up against neighboring schools on aggregate measures.
As an elementary school, Speake does not have a graduation rate, nor does it offer the kind of advanced coursework, career pathways, or dual-credit programs that matter to families choosing a high school. The school also does not have public data on chronic absenteeism. The Lawrence County district itself did not produce recent parent-relevant changes or strategic priorities in the materials reviewed, so this account leaves that context blank rather than guess.
Speake is a rural, economically diverse elementary school whose academic profile is strongest in early-grade reading and weaker in mathematics as students get older. Families considering this school should weigh the strong elementary ELA instruction against the math challenges, and they may want to ask what interventions are in place for the upper grades, particularly in math. The community is quiet, affordable, and car-dependent, with a housing market that is modest compared to national averages and with limited local amenities beyond the school itself and nearby cultural sites like the Jesse Owens Museum.
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