Sherwood Elementary School, Phenix City AL

Original Research by School Decision on Sherwood Elementary School

Sherwood Elementary School is a regular public school in Phenix City, Alabama, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Part of the Phenix City school system, it is one of six elementary schools in the district and sits in a residential area of the city on the western bank of the Chattahoochee River, directly across from Columbus, Georgia.

The school's student body reflects the broader diversity of Phenix City, with the largest racial groups being Black and White, followed by a notable share of students who identify as two or more races, a smaller Hispanic population, and very small numbers of Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a substantial level of economic need among the families the school serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, Sherwood Elementary shows a mixed picture across subjects. English language arts proficiency is a relative strength, with the majority of tested students meeting state standards in third, fourth, and fifth grades. Mathematics results are lower, with fewer than half of students scoring proficient at each grade level. Science results for fourth graders are also on the lower side. Because only one year of state test data was available from the Alabama ACAP assessment, it is not possible to say whether these results represent a trend or a single year's snapshot. The school's overall academic performance, when combined across subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint among the two districts in Russell County, which is the comparison set used here.

The school itself is not a charter or magnet school and has no special designation such as Title I status listed in the records, though the high rate of free and reduced-price lunch eligibility suggests it may receive federal support. No information on program offerings, such as gifted education, arts, or extracurricular activities, was present in the data, so families should confirm those directly with the school.

Phenix City functions as a residential and commercial counterpart to Columbus, Georgia, with strong cross-river ties. The city has a mix of older neighborhoods and newer development, with several U.S. highways and five bridges linking it to Georgia. The local economy is shaped by manufacturing, the school system itself, nearby Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), and the broader Columbus metro area. Housing in the area, both for purchase and rent, is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, which may matter for families considering a move to the school's attendance zone.

No recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives were found in publicly available sources, so this narrative does not report any shifts in programming, boundaries, or leadership that might affect the school. For a family evaluating Sherwood Elementary, the key takeaway is that it serves a high-need population and shows a notable split in performance between English language arts and math. A parent may want to look into math instruction and support further, and to verify what enrichment or intervention programs are available given the limited data on offerings.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 44% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 32% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 28% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 60% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 62% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 67% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Science

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 33% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median

This schoolPhenix City, 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 4Lower-income70%Higher-income83%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income57%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income52%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income45%17 pp gap