Central School, Huntsville AL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Central School

Central School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Huntsville, Alabama, and is part of the Madison County school system. It sits on Ryland Pike in the northeastern part of the city, a location that draws from a mix of residential neighborhoods. Because the school stops at eighth grade, it has no graduation rate to report, and state testing data is available only for the grades it covers.

On the Alabama ACAP assessments for the 2024-25 school year, the school’s performance presents a clear pattern. English language arts proficiency is a relative strength. Across grades three through eight, a solid majority of students scored at the proficient level, with the strongest results in grades three and six. Math results are more mixed and generally lower. In the early elementary grades, proficiency rates were respectable, but they declined sharply by seventh grade, where only a moderate share of students met the bar. Science, tested in fourth and eighth grades, saw roughly half of students reach proficiency. When compared against all districts in Madison County, Central School’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint, placing it in the upper half of the county’s public school options.

The student body is small enough that parents may recognize faces in the hallway. Of the roughly six hundred students, a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Racially, the school is predominantly white, with smaller but noticeable groups of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native students, and a handful of students who identify as two or more races. The school did not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a family looking for information on special education services or language support would want to ask the school directly.

Huntsville is the backdrop, and it matters for this school. The city is one of the fastest-growing in the country, driven by aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. Major employers include NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park, and plants run by Mazda Toyota, Polaris, and GE Aviation. The population has grown noticeably over recent years through annexation and new development. Housing values in the area around the school are moderately above the statewide benchmark, and rents have been rising, reflecting strong demand. For families moving to Huntsville for a job in the defense or tech sectors, Central School sits in a part of town that is less dense than the downtown core, with more of a suburban feel.

The district itself, Madison County, covers a large area that includes both Huntsville proper and surrounding communities. No recent parent-relevant changes at the district level were found in public reporting, so families may want to check directly with the school or district for updates on curriculum, staffing, or facility plans. What is available suggests a stable administrative context for the school.

Central School offers a complete elementary and middle school experience in one building, which can simplify transitions for students through eighth grade. The academic picture is strongest in reading and writing, while math proficiency drops noticeably in the middle school years, a soft spot a parent may want to explore further with the school. The surrounding community provides a dynamic economy and steady housing appreciation, making this a school worth considering for families who value a single-campus K-8 pathway and want to live in a growing, employment-rich region.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 54% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 49% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 42% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 28% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 74% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 70% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 74% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 66% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 64% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 54% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 48% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolMadison 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 5Lower-income50%Higher-income74%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income60%Higher-income83%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income55%12 pp gap