The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Saints Virtual Academy
Saints Virtual Academy serves students in fourth through twelfth grade as part of the Selma City Schools district in Alabama. The school operates as a regular public school, though its name and the nature of its instructional delivery suggest a virtual or online model; family-focused research into the exact format would clarify whether it is fully remote, hybrid, or a blended program. The school is based at an address on Broad Street in Selma, the county seat of Dallas County.
Enrollment is modest, with a notable concentration at the upper grade levels. The student body is roughly balanced between Black and White students, with smaller shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic context of Selma, which is one of Alabama’s poorer cities with a poverty rate near one in two residents and a population that has declined over several decades. The city’s economy relies on local government, the school system itself, a regional medical center, and heritage tourism tied to the civil rights movement, but employment options remain limited.
State testing data for Saints Virtual Academy is very limited and difficult to interpret with confidence. For the most recent year available, the school reported a proficiency rate of zero in eighth-grade math and zero in eighth-grade science, meaning no tested student scored at the proficient or advanced level in those subjects. The English language arts result for eighth grade was suppressed, and participation counts were also suppressed, making it impossible to know how many students were tested in any subject. The school places in the bottom quartile among districts in Dallas County on an index of overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, according to the comparison set that includes only the county’s other district. A parent considering this school would want to look further into what explains these numbers: whether the virtual model results in very low testing participation, whether the enrolled students face significant learning gaps, or whether the school’s approach is still developing. The data on hand provides a starting point for those questions but not answers.
No graduation rate was available for the school in the data provided, despite the fact that the school serves grades nine through twelve and enrolls a large share of its students in the upper high school grades, particularly eleventh and twelfth. This may reflect suppression or a reporting gap; a family should confirm graduation outcomes directly with the school or district.
The district level offers some context. Selma City Schools has launched a strategic plan focused on literacy, college and career readiness, and social-emotional learning. It also reorganized its secondary schools, including the operation of a dedicated middle school with a STEM/STEAM emphasis. How Saints Virtual Academy fits within that plan and whether it participates in those priorities is not detailed in the available information.
The housing market in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, though economic opportunity remains constrained. Selma continues to face challenges with population loss and disinvestment, and the city is still recovering from an EF2 tornado that damaged many buildings in early last year. Development efforts center on historic preservation and tourism rather than new residential or commercial growth.
For a family weighing options, Saints Virtual Academy presents a school with a clear service to a high-poverty community and a grade span that extends through high school. But the academic record is thin and concerning: state test results show no students meeting proficiency in the subjects and grade level reported, and the school’s comparison standing is the lowest in the county on the available measure. The virtual format may appeal to families who want flexibility or an alternative to a traditional classroom setting, but the lack of robust performance data means that any assessment of academic effectiveness remains guesswork. A prospective family should seek direct conversations with school leadership about curriculum, student outcomes, attendance, and graduation pathways before making a decision.
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