The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Science. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Russellville Elementary School
Russellville Elementary School is a regular public school in Franklin County serving grades three through five, part of the Russellville City school district. The school sits in Russellville, the county seat, a small city in northwest Alabama that grew modestly through the twentieth century but has experienced roughly flat or slightly declining population in recent years. The local economy, historically tied to mining and industry, has diversified into manufacturing, retail, health care, and construction, though many of the older industrial employers have left. Housing values in the area are well below national benchmarks.
The student body is diverse in ways that reflect the community’s demographic shift. A majority of students are Hispanic or Latino, with a substantial share of White students and smaller numbers of Black, multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Staffing, special education, and English learner data were not available in the materials reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, support services, and how the school serves students learning English.
Academically, Russellville Elementary shows a mixed picture on Alabama’s state assessments, with strength in some grades and subjects and softer results in others. In the third grade, a strong majority of students met proficiency benchmarks in both English language arts and math. By fourth grade, proficiency rates dropped considerably in both subjects, and in science, about half of fourth graders met the bar. Fifth graders posted stronger English language arts results but a less than half met the math proficiency standard. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Franklin County, though the county itself has only two districts, so the comparison set is small. The school has only one year of assessment data available in the sources used here, so there is no trend direction to examine.
Because Russellville Elementary ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s grade band simply does not extend into high school.
The school does not appear to be a charter or magnet school. Programs beyond the core academic offerings were not detailed in the materials reviewed.
Russellville itself is car-dependent, with no fixed-route transit but a dial-a-ride service. The downtown, anchored by the Franklin County Courthouse and the historic Roxy Theatre, hosts the annual Watermelon Festival in August, a major civic event. The school campuses are separated from the downtown core, and the high school’s football stadium is noted as a community gathering place. The district operates two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.
For a family considering this school, the key academic takeaway is that third graders perform relatively well in both reading and math, but the drop-off in fourth grade math and the middle-of-the-pack science results suggest a parent would want to understand how the school supports students as they move into the upper elementary grades. The high rate of economic need means the school likely qualifies for federal Title I funding, though the status was not confirmed in the available data, and that can bring additional resources and support. The community is small and stable, with limited new development, and housing is affordable relative to national averages. A parent looking for a school with a strong Latino student presence and a high-need population will find that here; one looking for extensive program descriptions, specialized academies, or detailed staffing information will need to follow up directly with the school or district.
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