The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ridgecrest Elementary School
Ridgecrest Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Phenix City, Alabama, as part of the Phenix City school system. The school sits just west of the Chattahoochee River, directly across from Columbus, Georgia, a position that shapes the daily life of the city. Phenix City functions largely as a residential and commercial counterpart to its larger neighbor, with five bridges connecting the two communities and many residents commuting across state lines for work. The city has a mix of riverfront amenities, a river walk designated as a national recreation trail, an amphitheater, and auto-oriented commercial corridors along the U.S. highways that run through town. Families here have access to affordable housing by national standards, and the city has been recognized as an affordable suburb for raising a family.
Ridgecrest is a regular public elementary school. It is not a charter or magnet school. The student body is large for an elementary school within this grade band, and the vast majority of students come from low-income households. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic minority, a smaller White population, and a modest share of students identifying as two or more races. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records. A parent who wants to know what special education services or language support programs look like may want to ask the school directly, since those counts are not public here.
The school takes the Alabama state assessments in grades three through five, and the results show a clear pattern by subject. In English language arts, a strong majority of third and fifth graders scored at the proficient level in the most recent testing year, with fourth graders a bit lower but still above half proficient. This represents a genuine strength for the school. In mathematics, the picture is different. At every tested grade level, the share of students reaching proficiency was low, and the combined figure across all grades placed Ridgecrest in the bottom quartile among the two districts in Russell County when measured by an overall proficiency index. Fourth-grade science results were also low. Because only one year of testing data was available, it is not possible to see whether these numbers are trending up or down. The county has only two school districts, so the comparison set is narrow, but within that set Ridgecrest's academic profile sits at the lower end.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data and discipline data were also absent from the records provided. A family weighing this school will want to ask the principal about attendance patterns and the school climate, since those are not documented here.
Phenix City itself has seen steady population growth over the past decades, with a small estimated decline in the most recent projection. The city promotes its riverfront development, affordable housing, and proximity to Fort Moore in Georgia as economic anchors. The school district's recent changes were not found in publicly available material, so it is unclear whether any major initiatives, leadership shifts, or facility upgrades are underway. The district operates multiple elementary schools, a middle school, an intermediate school, and one high school, along with a nearby community college and a university satellite campus.
For a family considering Ridgecrest, the academic picture is mixed. The school delivers solid reading outcomes in the early and upper elementary grades, which is a foundation for later learning. Mathematics and science results are where the challenge lies. A parent whose child needs strong grounding in those subjects early on may want to investigate what intervention or enrichment the school offers and how the math curriculum is delivered. The high rate of economic disadvantage in the student population means the school likely draws on federal Title I resources, but the data did not confirm the school's Title I status, so confirming that with the school office would be prudent. The school is large by elementary standards, which may affect class sizes and the availability of specialized staff. The peer environment reflects the demographics of the surrounding community, and families looking for a school that matches that composition will find it here.
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