Cherokee Elementary School

Summary:

Cherokee Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 228 students in grades PK-6 in Cherokee, Alabama, which is part of the Colbert County school district. The school faces several challenges, including below-average academic performance, declining test scores, and racial disparities in student achievement.

Cherokee Elementary has a significantly higher percentage of white students (83.33%) compared to the state average, with lower percentages of African American (7.02%) and Hispanic (5.26%) students. Academically, the school's performance on standardized tests is generally below the Colbert County and Alabama state averages across grade levels and subject areas. For example, the school's 3rd grade math proficiency rate was 34.48%, compared to 41.8% for Colbert County and 42.16% for the state. The school's statewide ranking has consistently been in the bottom half of Alabama elementary schools, ranking between 306 and 518 out of 680-695 schools.

When compared to other nearby schools, such as New Bethel Elementary, which is also in Colbert County, Cherokee Elementary generally underperforms academically. The school's high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (45.61% in 2022-2023) suggests that socioeconomic factors may be playing a role in the school's academic performance. Additionally, the significant differences in academic performance between white students and their African American and Hispanic peers at Cherokee Elementary are concerning and warrant further investigation.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 1305 North Pike
       Cherokee, AL  35616-7028


(256) 359-6422

District: Colbert County

SchoolDigger Rank:
306th of 684 Alabama Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,764 Help


Students who attend Cherokee Elementary School usually attend:

High:    Cherokee High School

Student/teacher ratio:  13.9 Help
Number of students:  221

Racial breakdown:

White:
85.1%
Hispanic:
7.2%
Two or more races:
4.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  43% Help


 See top rated Alabama elementary schools

 Compare Cherokee Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Cherokee Elementary School ranks better than 55.3% of elementary schools in Alabama. It also ranks 3rd among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Colbert County School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 55.83. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (85.1%), Hispanic (7.2%), two or more races (4.5%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 43% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cherokee Elementary School is 13.9, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Colbert County School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Cherokee Elementary School employs 15.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cherokee Elementary School is $11,764. 2 elementary schools in the Colbert County School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cherokee Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cherokee Elementary School 306th of 684 Alabama public elementary schools. (See Cherokee Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Colbert County:

SchoolDigger ranks Colbert County 84th of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Cherokee Elementary School?

Rank History for Cherokee Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Cherokee Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 46.30 408th 688 40.7%
2006 69.53 163rd 689 76.3%
2007 41.92 466th 698 33.2%
2008 55.62 321st 698 54.0%
2009 44.29 441st 696 36.6%
2010 49.43 423rd 704 39.9%
2011 57.95 347th 709 51.1%
2012 66.63 232nd 696 66.7%
2013 65.48 242nd 696 65.2%
2014 51.90 339th 695 51.2%
2015 28.64 518th 691 25.0%
2016 32.78 484th 691 30.0%
2017 35.43 461st 688 33.0%
2018 47.33 395th 680 41.9%
2019 38.58 442nd 681 35.1%
2021 26.54 501st 692 27.6%
2022 33.69 458th 687 33.3%
2023 40.36 416th 680 38.8%
2024 55.83 306th 684 55.3%
See the entire list of Alabama Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cherokee Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 36.63 388th 567 31.6%
2018 51.54 335th 651 48.5%
2019 40.92 403rd 649 37.9%
2021 27.23 483rd 653 26.0%
2022 34.28 440th 651 32.4%
2023 40.83 379th 623 39.2%
2024 62.16 251st 670 62.5%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cherokee Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 31.93 467th 639 26.9%
2018 47.31 362nd 640 43.4%
2019 50.40 331st 646 48.8%
2021 20.23 529th 656 19.4%
2022 27.61 474th 656 27.7%
2023 42.02 377th 645 41.6%
2024 48.83 338th 650 48.0%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cherokee Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 39.88 406th 639 36.5%
2018 48.53 365th 650 43.8%
2019 31.51 462nd 650 28.9%
2021 33.86 447th 669 33.2%
2022 39.56 402nd 669 39.9%
2023 38.20 411th 649 36.7%
2024 61.94 247th 655 62.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Cherokee Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.19 386th 508 24.0%
2019 31.41 389th 529 26.5%
2021 17.54 484th 539 10.2%
2022 20.39 475th 540 12.0%
2023 23.16 439th 528 16.9%
2024 40.97 331st 535 38.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Cherokee Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.7)
67%

0%

0%

0%

33%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Open Quote Aside from the lack of education, they also treat the school as if it were private. They still practice corporal punishment and are only decent to the children of employees or top donors. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Cherokee Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 362 362
1989 287 59 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 347
1990 285 62 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 352
1991 298 58 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 360
1992 289 65 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 359
1993 294 73 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 370
1994 264 69 0 8 0 n/a n/a 0 341
1995 261 53 2 2 0 n/a n/a 0 318
1996 261 53 2 2 0 n/a n/a 0 318
1997 278 57 2 5 1 n/a n/a 0 343
1998 263 45 1 4 1 n/a n/a 0 314
1999 268 47 0 4 2 n/a n/a 0 321
2000 268 46 1 3 1 n/a n/a 0 319
2001 270 45 0 3 2 n/a n/a 0 320
2002 264 32 0 5 1 n/a n/a 0 302
2003 264 32 0 5 1 n/a n/a 0 302
2004 274 28 0 5 1 n/a n/a 0 308
2005 274 19 0 9 1 n/a n/a 0 303
2006 257 23 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 285
2007 250 18 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 272
2008 312 17 0 11 0 n/a n/a 0 340
2009 335 21 1 9 1 n/a n/a 0 367
2010 325 29 1 8 1 n/a n/a 0 364
2011 323 24 0 10 1 0 3 0 361
2012 305 34 0 8 0 0 5 0 352
2013 293 29 0 7 0 0 8 0 337
2014 295 34 0 7 0 0 14 0 350
2015 287 32 0 8 0 0 14 0 341
2016 283 31 1 10 2 0 12 0 339
2017 273 31 1 8 0 0 12 0 325
2018 276 30 0 10 0 0 18 0 334
2019 254 25 1 14 1 0 13 0 308
2020 260 21 1 13 0 0 14 0 309
2021 236 19 1 11 0 0 8 0 275
2022 218 18 1 13 2 0 8 0 260
2023 190 16 1 12 0 0 9 0 228
2024 188 7 0 16 0 0 10 0 221

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cherokee Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 362 19.0 19.0 0
1989 347 19.0 18.2 n/a
1990 352 19.0 18.5 0
1991 360 21.0 17.1 n/a
1992 359 19.0 18.8 n/a
1993 370 19.0 19.5 n/a
1994 341 20.5 16.6 n/a
1995 318 20.1 15.8 n/a
1996 318 20.1 15.8 n/a
1997 343 22.0 15.6 42.6
1998 314 21.0 15.0 44.3
1999 321 22.0 14.6 60.4
2000 319 22.0 14.5 57.4
2001 320 22.0 14.5 55.3
2002 302 21.0 14.4 57.6
2003 302 21.0 14.4 57.6
2004 308 25.5 12.1 59.1
2005 303 22.0 13.8 57.1
2006 285 21.0 13.6 64.6
2007 272 19.5 13.9 63.6
2008 340 24.9 13.7 62.9
2009 367 25.1 14.4 57.5
2010 364 23.5 15.4 61.8
2011 361 25.5 14.1 65.9
2012 352 23.5 14.9 73
2013 337 28.5 11.8 65.3
2014 350 25.5 13.7 71.4
2015 341 23.0 14.8 68.3
2016 339 21.0 16.1 68.1
2017 325 21.4 15.1 76.6
2018 334 20.0 16.7 65.9
2019 308 19.0 16.2 71.4
2020 309 19.0 16.2 72.2
2021 275 18.3 14.9 75.3
2022 260 17.5 14.8 n/a
2023 228 19.5 11.6 45.6
2024 221 15.8 13.9 43

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cherokee Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 362 19.0 19.0 0
1989 347 19.0 18.2 n/a
1990 352 19.0 18.5 0
1991 360 21.0 17.1 n/a
1992 359 19.0 18.8 n/a
1993 370 19.0 19.5 n/a
1994 341 20.5 16.6 n/a
1995 318 20.1 15.8 n/a
1996 318 20.1 15.8 n/a
1997 343 22.0 15.6 42.6
1998 314 21.0 15.0 44.3
1999 321 22.0 14.6 60.4
2000 319 22.0 14.5 57.4
2001 320 22.0 14.5 55.3
2002 302 21.0 14.4 57.6
2003 302 21.0 14.4 57.6
2004 308 25.5 12.1 59.1
2005 303 22.0 13.8 57.1
2006 285 21.0 13.6 64.6
2007 272 19.5 13.9 63.6
2008 340 24.9 13.7 62.9
2009 367 25.1 14.4 57.5
2010 364 23.5 15.4 61.8
2011 361 25.5 14.1 65.9
2012 352 23.5 14.9 73
2013 337 28.5 11.8 65.3
2014 350 25.5 13.7 71.4
2015 341 23.0 14.8 68.3
2016 339 21.0 16.1 68.1
2017 325 21.4 15.1 76.6
2018 334 20.0 16.7 65.9
2019 308 19.0 16.2 71.4
2020 309 19.0 16.2 72.2
2021 275 18.3 14.9 75.3
2022 260 17.5 14.8 n/a
2023 228 19.5 11.6 45.6
2024 221 15.8 13.9 43

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cherokee Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,605 (22.1%) $9,160 (77.9%) $11,764

Data source: Alabama Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cherokee Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 442nd of 681 Elementary schoolsRanks 416th of 680 Elementary schools
 3.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Cherokee Elementary School)39.520
 19.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Colbert County)46.141.4
 4.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Alabama)57.543.6
 13.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Cherokee Elementary School)55.844.2
 11.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Colbert County)39.847.4
 7.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)47.334.9
 12.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Cherokee Elementary School)34.342.3
 8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Colbert County)38.544.3
 5.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.933.9
 10.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Cherokee Elementary School)21.45.4
 16%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Colbert County)38.717.9
 20.8%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)45.330.8
 14.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students308228
 26%
African American2516
 36%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian11
Hispanic1412
 14.3%
Pacific Islander00
White254190
 25.2%
Two or More Races139
 30.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients71.4%45.6%
 25.8%


Schools Near Cherokee Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Cherokee Elementary School

Students at Cherokee Elementary School are 85% White, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Cherokee Elementary School ranks 306th of 684 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Cherokee Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Cherokee High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 221 students attended Cherokee Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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