The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fort Deposit Elementary School
Fort Deposit Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the town of Fort Deposit, a small rural community in Lowndes County, Alabama. The school is part of the Lowndes County School District, which is the only district in the county, so there is no other public school system to compare it to locally. The town itself, sitting roughly south of Montgomery near I-65, has a population that has been declining in recent years. Its economy includes manufacturing, education and health care, retail trade, and construction, with Priester’s Pecans as a well-known local employer and regional destination.
The student body at Fort Deposit Elementary is small for its grade band. The enrollment is predominantly Black, with a small share of White students and even smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. The vast majority of students come from low-income households, as reflected in the free and reduced-price lunch data. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data we reviewed.
State testing results from the most recent year show a mixed picture that parents will want to examine carefully. In English language arts, third graders met the proficiency bar at a rate that is relatively encouraging, while fourth graders and fifth graders posted lower proficiency rates. In mathematics, the pattern is steeply graded by level: third graders reached proficiency at a rate that stands apart, but fourth-grade math proficiency fell to a much lower level, and fifth-grade math proficiency was at the low end of the scale. Science results, assessed only in fourth grade, were also very low. Only one year of assessment data was available for this analysis, so there is no trend line to show whether these scores represent a change from prior years. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report; that measure does not apply here.
The available data on student support and school environment is thin. No information was reported on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access. The school’s Title I status was not provided, but given the high share of students from low-income families, it is reasonable to infer that the school receives federal support through that program. We looked for recent district-level changes or initiatives that might affect families at this school, such as new programs, leadership turnover, or facility improvements, but found no specific information publicly reported in the time frame we checked.
Fort Deposit is auto-oriented and rural, with limited walkability. The elementary school and a middle school are the two public schools in town, and civic life is concentrated along Old Fort Road, where City Hall is located. The town’s population decline and modest housing values suggest a community that is not experiencing new residential growth; the typical home value in the area is below the state and national benchmarks, and housing affordability relative to income is favorable by national standards.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that Fort Deposit Elementary serves a high-poverty, small student population in a rural setting with no nearby district alternative. Academic performance varies by grade and subject, with third-grade reading standing as a relative bright spot, while math and science outcomes in the upper elementary grades are areas a parent would want to discuss directly with the school to understand what supports and interventions are in place. The lack of broader data on attendance, discipline, and staffing makes it harder to get a full picture of the school’s daily environment. Families moving to the area or choosing a school for their child will need to rely on conversations with the principal and teachers, as the public data alone leaves several important questions unanswered.
See more original research from School Decision →