J F Shields High School, Beatrice AL

Original Research by School Decision on J F Shields High School

J F Shields High School is a regular public school serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the small rural town of Beatrice, Alabama, about a short drive northwest of Monroeville in Monroe County. The town has seen population decline in recent decades, with the logging industry described as the backbone of the local economy. Housing values and rents reflect a modest market given the area’s rural character. The district has no recent major changes publicly reported, so the picture here is steady rather than shifting.

Enrollment is relatively small for a PK-12 campus, with just over two hundred students. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a small share of white students and even fewer Hispanic or multiracial students. A very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the community faces substantial economic challenges.

State testing results are limited in what they show. In third grade, data for both math and English language arts was suppressed for the most recent school year, meaning that test counts were too small to report publicly without risking student identification. For grades four through eight where results are available, the pattern is sobering. In math, proficiency rates across fourth through eighth grade are low, with an overall math proficiency rate across tested grades and subjects in the single digits. English language arts proficiency is higher but still modest. Fourth graders posted a rate near the low end, fifth grade showed roughly half of students reaching proficiency, sixth grade came in similarly, seventh grade dipped, and eighth grade fell below a quarter. In science, fourth graders scored below a quarter proficient, while eighth graders scored notably lower, in the single digits. These results place academic performance well below state averages, and a parent should understand that many students across the elementary and middle grades are not meeting grade-level benchmarks in core subjects.

The school serves all grade levels on one campus, which is typical for a small rural community school. It is not a charter school, and there is no magnet or Title I status reported. Given the economic context, it is likely that Title I funding applies, but the data does not confirm this. Because this is such a small school, comparisons to other districts in Monroe County are not available; the county has only one district, so there is no meaningful peer set at that level. High school outcomes such as a graduation rate were not part of the provided data, so a parent looking for that information would need to ask the school directly.

For a family considering this school, the context matters heavily. Beatrice is a very small town with limited commercial amenities and no mention of public transit. The school is integrated into the town center and serves as a community hub. The academic challenge is real, and a parent with high expectations for state test performance will see numbers that give serious cause for concern. That said, the school offers the convenience of a single K-12 campus and the close-knit environment that a small rural school can provide. A family considering moving to the area for this school should seek information directly from the school about curriculum supports, teacher retention, and any academic improvement initiatives.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 13 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

373 schools plotted. 7 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 24% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 30% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 8% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 16% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 62% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 48% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 41% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median

Science

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 35% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median

This schoolMonroe 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.