The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dannelly Elementary School
Dannelly Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Montgomery County school system. It is located in the state capital, a mid-sized city where government operations, Maxwell Air Force Base, and manufacturing, including a large automotive plant, anchor the local economy. The city has pursued downtown revitalization and new urbanism projects, though the broader area remains car-dependent outside of the walkable downtown core.
The school enrolls a large student body for an elementary school. The student population is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of Hispanic students, and a very small number of white, Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need among the families served. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates in math and reading across grades three through five are below the levels many families look for. In reading, the share of students meeting proficiency standards varied by grade, with a higher share of fourth graders reaching that benchmark compared to third and fifth graders. In math, proficiency rates were lower across all three tested grades. Science results for fourth graders followed a similar pattern to math. The school's overall proficiency index, which combines performance across subjects and grades, sits above the midpoint when compared to other school districts within Montgomery County, though the range among districts in the county is wide. Because these results come from a single year, there is no multi-year trend data to show whether the school is improving or declining.
Families considering Dannelly should know that this is a Title I school given its high level of economic disadvantage, which means it receives federal funding to support its students. The school does not operate as a charter or a magnet program. Data on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was not available in the civilian-rights report, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher turnover, and the school climate.
The housing market in the zip code area shows home values lower than the state and national benchmarks, and rents that are a modest cost relative to typical incomes. For a family moving into the attendance zone, the real estate is broadly affordable by Alabama standards. The district brief did not turn up any recent major changes, such as boundary shifts or program closures, that would affect the school, but families are best served by confirming current attendance boundaries with the district, as they can shift.
Dannelly is a school where the student body is deeply connected to the city's established neighborhoods and where the economic realities of the community are reflected in the school's support programs. The pathway for a child here leads to a set of feeder middle and high schools within Montgomery County, though those outcomes are not measured at this level. A parent focused on academic proficiency will want to look closely at the state test results and ask what interventions the school uses for the majority of students who are not yet meeting the bar, as well as whether there are accelerated options for those who are.
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