The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Zora Ellis Junior High School
Zora Ellis Junior High School serves seventh and eighth grade students in Talladega, a city that mixes small-town character with institutional heft. The county seat of Talladega County, its economy is rooted in agriculture, timber, manufacturing, and tourism tied to the Talladega Superspeedway. The Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, Talladega College, and a branch of Central Alabama Community College are embedded in the city and shape its fabric. The historic courthouse square with its Ritz Theatre anchors downtown, and the broader housing market is more affordable than state and national benchmarks.
The school itself is a regular public school, part of the Talladega City district. Its enrollment is small and concentrated in just two grade levels, giving it the feel of a focused, transitional setting between elementary and high school. The student body is predominantly Black, with a significant white minority and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the community. Data on special education and English learner populations was not provided.
State testing results from the Alabama ACAP assessments place academic performance at a low level. In math, proficiency rates were very low in both seventh and eighth grades. In English language arts, about a quarter of students in each grade met proficiency standards. Science results, available only for eighth grade, showed a similar pattern. The data does not offer a breakdown across student groups or a multi-year trend, so it is not possible to tell whether these results represent a single difficult year or a longer pattern. A parent may want to discuss remediation and intervention approaches directly with the school.
The school serves no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism or disciplinary actions was available. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent structural changes or new initiatives, and no program offerings were listed in the available data. There is no information on whether the school runs advanced coursework, career-technical pathways, or extracurricular activities beyond what a typical junior high would offer.
What is clear is that Zora Ellis Junior High sits in a community with deep civic anchors, historic institutions, and a relatively stable population. The city has seen modest growth over time, with highway connections to Interstate 20 and the Birmingham and Atlanta regions. The housing market is distinctly affordable, especially compared to state and national averages, which may matter for families weighing where to live. But the academic picture, based on the state assessments that are available, is one of very low proficiency across tested subjects. This positions the school well below the midpoint among other Talladega County districts. For a family considering this school, the central question is whether the support structures and instruction that exist are catching students where they are, and what the high school experience that follows looks like. The available data does not answer that, but it makes clear that a parent should investigate those supports directly.
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