Union Hill School, Somerville AL

Original Research by School Decision on Union Hill School

Union Hill School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade in Somerville, a small rural town in central Morgan County, Alabama. The school sits on Union Hill Road, part of the Morgan County school system, and serves a community that is historically the former county seat and retains a quiet residential character centered on its historic courthouse square. The town has seen population growth in recent years, and its workforce is spread across manufacturing, health care and education, retail trade, and construction, with many residents likely commuting to nearby Decatur or Huntsville. Housing values in the area have risen modestly and remain near the state average.

The student body at Union Hill is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic minority and very small shares of Black, Native American, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, a gap that a parent may want to discuss with the school directly.

On state assessments from the 2024-25 school year, Union Hill’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Morgan County. The school’s results show a distinct pattern. In English language arts, proficiency rates are solid across most elementary grades and climb to a high level in eighth grade. Science results are mixed but reach a strong rate in eighth grade as well. In mathematics, the picture is more uneven. Elementary grades perform reasonably well, with a particularly strong showing in fifth grade, but proficiency drops sharply in sixth and seventh grades before recovering somewhat in eighth grade. A parent with a child entering middle school may want to ask how the school supports math skills in those transitional years. Because Union Hill serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data to report.

The school offers a full span of elementary and middle grades within a single building, which can provide continuity for families who prefer a small, familiar setting. The town itself has limited walkability and street life; the historic courthouse square is the civic anchor, and State Highway 67 bisects the town. Schools in Somerville are integrated into the town center rather than isolated on large campuses, and Union Hill operates within this compact, rural context.

No recent district-level changes were reported in publicly available sources, so the Morgan County system appears stable on that front. For a family seeking a pre-K through eighth grade school in a quiet, rural community with a strong sense of local history, Union Hill offers a straightforward option. Its reading and science performance are generally solid, while math achievement in the middle grades is a softer area that warrants a conversation with the school. The high share of economically disadvantaged students suggests that the school serves a population with significant needs, and the absence of data on special education and English learner support means a parent should inquire directly about those services.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 58% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 56% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 52% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 30% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 33% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 70% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 63% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 79% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 58% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 59% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Science

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 47% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolMorgan 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.