The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Flatwoods Elementary School
Flatwoods Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in Northport, Alabama, as part of the Tuscaloosa County School System. It is a neighborhood school for the early elementary years, feeding into upper elementary and then middle and high schools elsewhere in the county. Because it serves only primary grades, measures such as a graduation rate or high school offerings do not apply here.
The school sits within Northport, a city that has grown rapidly over the past decade and is recognized as one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state. Much of that growth is residential, drawing families who commute to Tuscaloosa or other parts of the county for work. The historic downtown has a walkable core with shops, dining, galleries, and regular art events, but most of the city’s built environment follows a suburban, car-dependent pattern. Home values in the area have risen in line with national trends, while rents remain somewhat more attainable than in many metro areas. The city is investing in new amenities, including a water park and a sports complex that displaced a long-running arts festival, which signals ongoing development and a changing character in some parts of town.
Flatwoods Elementary itself enrolls a student body that is diverse and economically mixed in ways that are typical of many public schools across the county. The largest groups of students are Black and Hispanic, each making up a substantial share of enrollment, followed by white students and small numbers of Asian and multiracial students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is high, indicating that a significant portion of families have lower household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records we reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the support services offered.
On state assessments administered in the latest school year, proficiency rates vary notably by subject. In reading, about half of third and fourth graders met the proficiency standard, which is a mixed picture. In mathematics, roughly a quarter of students in each grade scored proficient, and science proficiency in fourth grade was similarly low. When compared broadly against the other districts in Tuscaloosa County, Flatwoods Elementary’s combined proficiency across tested subjects placed it in the bottom quartile, meaning its academic performance is behind most of its county peers. Only a single year of testing data was available, so there is no trend to examine yet.
Beyond test scores, the school’s academic environment is shaped by its grade band. With no grades above fourth, there are no advanced placement, career-tech, or dual-credit pathways to discuss. The school’s core mission is building foundational literacy and numeracy in the youngest students. The district-level data we examined did not point to any recent major changes or strategic shifts that would affect Flatwoods directly.
For a parent considering this school, the picture is straightforward. Flatwoods serves a diverse and economically varied early-elementary community in a fast-growing suburban setting. Academic performance, particularly in math and science, is lower than what most county peers report, and the school is still in its first year of available testing data under the current assessment system. Families who value a neighborhood school close to home in a growing city will find that here. Those who want to understand the specific supports for struggling students or English learners will need to follow up directly with the school, since public records do not detail those areas.
See more original research from School Decision →