The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Linden Elementary School
Linden Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small rural county-seat town of Linden, Alabama. The town sits at the center of Marengo County and has a modest commercial core, county government offices, and a timber manufacturing industry. Population has been declining for years, and the median household income is low relative to state and national benchmarks. The school is part of the Linden City district, which operates one elementary, one junior high, and one high school.
The school enrolls a small number of students across grades PK through five. A large majority of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic conditions of the community. The student population is overwhelmingly Black, with small shares of White, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
State assessment results from the Alabama ACAP for the 2024–25 school year are the only test data on record, so there is no multi-year trend to examine. In reading, the share of students scoring proficient varies by grade: roughly one-third of third graders were proficient, over half of fourth graders were, and about three-fifths of fifth graders were. In math, proficiency rates were lower, with a decline across grades from third to fifth; about a third of third graders were proficient, a slightly smaller share of fourth graders, and less than a fifth of fifth graders. Science was assessed only in fourth grade, where about a third of students scored proficient.
When compared with the handful of other districts in Marengo County, Linden Elementary's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint of the county's district-level averages. A parent considering the school will want to look into the math results further, particularly the drop in proficiency between third and fifth grade, and ask the school what supports are in place to address it.
Two recent state-level legislative mandates are directly relevant to families with children in this elementary school. The Alabama Literacy Act, which took effect in the 2023–24 school year, requires reading screening and intervention for K–3 students and allows retention of third graders who are not reading at grade level. The Alabama Numeracy Act, signed into law in 2022, requires early math screening and intervention for K–3 students and mandates that every elementary school have a math coach. For a school where a substantial portion of students did not reach proficiency in reading or math, these laws mean the school is now required to provide targeted intervention and dedicated support staff. The district also offers a permanent virtual learning option under the Alabama LIVES Act, giving families an alternative to in-person instruction.
Linden Elementary operates in a shrinking rural community with limited economic opportunity. Housing is affordable relative to the state and nation, but the housing stock is older and the town has seen no major new development. The school is the only public elementary option in the district. A family moving to the area should expect a small, high-poverty school where academic proficiency is below the county average, especially in math, but also a school that is now required by state law to provide early intervention in reading and math and that offers a virtual learning alternative. Given the thin data, a parent may want to visit the school and speak directly with the principal about the math support and literacy intervention strategies in use.
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