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McDonnell Elementary School

Summary:

McDonnell Elementary School is a public elementary school in Huntsville, Alabama, serving 528 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Huntsville City School District, which is ranked 83 out of 137 districts in the state.

Despite serving a predominantly Hispanic (56.44%) and economically disadvantaged student population, with over 85% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, McDonnell Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Alabama elementary schools on state assessments. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 13.04% of 3rd graders, 10% of 4th graders, and 15.38% of 5th graders at McDonnell were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 31.14%, 28.23%, and 31.68% for Huntsville City, and 42.16%, 38.32%, and 37.13% for the state of Alabama. The school's performance is particularly low for African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 20-30% of Alabama elementary schools.

Interestingly, nearby schools in the Huntsville City School District, such as Montview Elementary, Highlands Elementary, and Whitesburg Elementary, generally outperform McDonnell Elementary, despite also performing below the Huntsville City and Alabama state averages. These nearby schools have a more diverse student population and lower percentages of economically disadvantaged students, which may contribute to their relatively better academic performance. Additionally, McDonnell Elementary's per-student spending of $9,416 in 2018-2019 was lower than some nearby schools, suggesting potential resource constraints that could be impacting the school's ability to address the unique needs of its student population.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 4010 Binderton Pl
       Huntsville, AL  35805

(256) 428-7280

District: Huntsville City

SchoolDigger Rank:
640th of 684 Alabama Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,416 Help


Students who attend McDonnell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Whitesburg Middle School
High:    Virgil Grissom High School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.8 Help
Number of students:  445

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
57.8%
African American:
28.8%
White:
9.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  88.3% Help


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 Compare McDonnell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details McDonnell Elementary School ranks worse than 93.6% of elementary schools in Alabama. It also ranks 23rd among 24 ranked elementary schools in the Huntsville City School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.2. (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
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (57.8%), African American (28.8%), White (9.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 88.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at McDonnell Elementary School is 17.8. 14 elementary schools in the Huntsville City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare McDonnell Elementary School employs 25 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at McDonnell Elementary School is $9,416. 15 elementary schools in the Huntsville City School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

McDonnell Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks McDonnell Elementary School 640th of 684 Alabama public elementary schools. (See McDonnell Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Huntsville City:

SchoolDigger ranks Huntsville City 83rd of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for McDonnell Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 25.64 503rd 623 19.3%
2005 14.27 647th 688 6.0%
2006 21.68 611th 689 11.3%
2007 3.88 688th 698 1.4%
2008 17.33 652nd 698 6.6%
2009 8.86 685th 696 1.6%
2010 7.48 683rd 704 3.0%
2011 17.50 655th 709 7.6%
2012 24.68 603rd 696 13.4%
2013 24.52 622nd 696 10.6%
2014 31.11 512th 695 26.3%
2015 25.88 533rd 691 22.9%
2016 16.34 598th 691 13.5%
2017 15.85 590th 688 14.2%
2018 22.71 527th 680 22.5%
2019 19.07 562nd 681 17.5%
2021 18.70 561st 692 18.9%
2022 13.50 601st 687 12.5%
2023 14.65 579th 680 14.9%
2024 10.20 640th 684 6.4%
See the entire list of Alabama Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 7.92 79th 82 3.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 49.39 9th 25 64.0%
2018 39.16 44th 65 32.3%
2019 24.34 66th 74 10.8%
2021 36.92 67th 100 33.0%
2022 24.07 98th 110 10.9%
2023 30.68 96th 123 22.0%
2024 21.23 122nd 131 6.9%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 15.03 260th 280 7.1%
2018 46.46 171st 344 50.3%
2019 41.74 225th 392 42.6%
2023 20.35 333rd 373 10.7%
2024 17.00 366th 395 7.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 19.67 473rd 567 16.6%
2018 32.19 471st 651 27.6%
2019 22.24 542nd 649 16.5%
2021 22.83 520th 653 20.4%
2022 15.35 579th 651 11.1%
2023 21.66 511th 623 18.0%
2024 14.72 602nd 670 10.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 10.06 607th 639 5.0%
2018 19.55 536th 640 16.3%
2019 13.09 587th 646 9.1%
2021 17.73 555th 656 15.4%
2022 12.60 596th 656 9.1%
2023 15.43 562nd 645 12.9%
2024 12.24 602nd 650 7.4%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 22.79 503rd 639 21.3%
2018 30.25 467th 650 28.2%
2019 27.58 487th 650 25.1%
2021 21.06 523rd 669 21.8%
2022 18.87 541st 669 19.1%
2023 16.32 543rd 649 16.3%
2024 11.23 602nd 655 8.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 25.34 282nd 336 16.1%
2018 67.40 101st 423 76.1%
2019 33.83 299th 426 29.8%
2021 29.90 309th 426 27.5%
2022 30.34 305th 426 28.4%
2023 20.06 378th 427 11.5%
2024 16.29 401st 420 4.5%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 25.09 110th 130 15.4%
2018 33.90 103rd 140 26.4%
2019 32.50 114th 152 25.0%
2021 27.27 133rd 164 18.9%
2022 21.53 149th 175 14.9%
2023 24.49 151st 184 17.9%
2024 19.05 184th 196 6.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at McDonnell Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.67 460th 508 9.4%
2019 7.65 515th 529 2.6%
2021 7.77 528th 539 2.0%
2022 4.86 532nd 540 1.5%
2023 5.61 518th 528 1.9%
2024 4.20 527th 535 1.5%
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.

McDonnell Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for McDonnell 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 517 517
1989 335 156 11 5 1 n/a n/a 0 508
1990 314 181 19 5 0 n/a n/a 0 519
1991 294 164 22 2 1 n/a n/a 0 483
1992 307 226 20 3 0 n/a n/a 1 557
1993 306 230 14 5 2 n/a n/a 0 557
1994 286 253 12 12 3 n/a n/a 0 566
1995 228 227 9 18 3 n/a n/a 0 485
1996 228 227 9 18 3 n/a n/a 0 485
1997 232 227 12 14 2 n/a n/a 0 487
1998 209 215 14 23 0 n/a n/a 0 461
1999 208 206 17 28 3 n/a n/a 0 462
2000 188 221 9 25 1 n/a n/a 0 444
2001 182 202 12 17 0 n/a n/a 1 414
2002 155 188 16 17 0 n/a n/a 0 376
2003 155 188 16 17 0 n/a n/a 0 376
2004 138 218 13 30 0 n/a n/a 2 401
2005 112 196 9 50 2 n/a n/a 0 369
2006 108 181 7 67 0 n/a n/a 6 369
2007 88 194 14 95 2 n/a n/a 7 400
2008 67 185 23 129 2 n/a n/a 0 406
2009 79 182 15 141 0 n/a n/a 0 417
2010 68 179 13 176 0 n/a n/a 3 439
2011 62 192 16 184 1 0 17 0 472
2012 61 173 22 185 1 5 27 0 474
2013 67 138 23 245 2 3 35 0 513
2014 82 154 24 293 2 2 44 0 601
2015 67 145 13 348 2 2 48 0 625
2016 47 137 7 298 3 5 25 0 522
2017 66 117 8 299 3 2 34 0 529
2018 65 124 6 291 1 0 27 0 514
2019 56 121 5 271 0 0 16 0 469
2020 60 148 4 271 1 0 25 0 509
2021 46 132 2 259 0 0 19 0 458
2022 44 148 7 279 3 1 4 0 486
2023 50 159 4 298 2 0 15 0 528
2024 43 128 2 257 0 0 15 0 445

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 McDonnell Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 517 25.0 20.6 0
1989 508 25.0 20.3 n/a
1990 519 29.0 17.8 0
1991 483 27.0 17.8 n/a
1992 557 28.0 19.8 n/a
1993 557 28.0 19.9 n/a
1994 566 28.0 20.2 n/a
1995 485 33.1 14.7 n/a
1996 485 33.1 14.7 n/a
1997 487 33.5 14.5 75.2
1998 461 31.5 14.6 68.1
1999 462 32.0 14.4 78.6
2000 444 34.0 13.1 81.3
2001 414 34.0 12.2 80.4
2002 376 26.0 14.5 84.6
2003 376 26.0 14.5 84.6
2004 401 27.6 14.5 86
2005 369 26.0 14.2 91.1
2006 369 24.0 15.1 76.6
2007 400 24.9 16.1 84.2
2008 406 25.9 15.7 70.4
2009 417 26.7 15.5 84.2
2010 439 31.4 13.9 90.1
2011 472 31.0 15.2 85
2012 474 28.1 16.8 86.5
2013 513 32.2 15.9 88.3
2014 601 34.2 17.5 88
2015 625 34.0 18.3 57.9
2016 522 30.0 17.4 57.7
2017 529 29.8 17.7 64.3
2018 514 30.5 16.8 87.5
2019 469 29.8 15.7 86.4
2020 509 24.8 20.5 84.9
2021 458 29.6 15.4 87.6
2022 486 28.7 16.9 83.7
2023 528 25.0 21.1 85
2024 445 25.0 17.8 88.3

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 McDonnell Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 517 25.0 20.6 0
1989 508 25.0 20.3 n/a
1990 519 29.0 17.8 0
1991 483 27.0 17.8 n/a
1992 557 28.0 19.8 n/a
1993 557 28.0 19.9 n/a
1994 566 28.0 20.2 n/a
1995 485 33.1 14.7 n/a
1996 485 33.1 14.7 n/a
1997 487 33.5 14.5 75.2
1998 461 31.5 14.6 68.1
1999 462 32.0 14.4 78.6
2000 444 34.0 13.1 81.3
2001 414 34.0 12.2 80.4
2002 376 26.0 14.5 84.6
2003 376 26.0 14.5 84.6
2004 401 27.6 14.5 86
2005 369 26.0 14.2 91.1
2006 369 24.0 15.1 76.6
2007 400 24.9 16.1 84.2
2008 406 25.9 15.7 70.4
2009 417 26.7 15.5 84.2
2010 439 31.4 13.9 90.1
2011 472 31.0 15.2 85
2012 474 28.1 16.8 86.5
2013 513 32.2 15.9 88.3
2014 601 34.2 17.5 88
2015 625 34.0 18.3 57.9
2016 522 30.0 17.4 57.7
2017 529 29.8 17.7 64.3
2018 514 30.5 16.8 87.5
2019 469 29.8 15.7 86.4
2020 509 24.8 20.5 84.9
2021 458 29.6 15.4 87.6
2022 486 28.7 16.9 83.7
2023 528 25.0 21.1 85
2024 445 25.0 17.8 88.3

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 McDonnell Elementary School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,190 (23.3%) $7,225 (76.7%) $9,416

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

Impact of COVID-19 on McDonnell 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 562nd of 681 Elementary schoolsRanks 579th of 680 Elementary schools
 2.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (McDonnell Elementary School)34.511
 23.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)53.933.4
 20.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Alabama)57.543.6
 13.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (McDonnell Elementary School)13.58.9
 4.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)44.729.8
 14.9%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)47.334.9
 12.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (McDonnell Elementary School)35.812.9
 22.9%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)4428.2
 15.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.933.9
 10.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students469528
 12.6%
African American121159
 31.4%
American Indian02
Asian54
 20%
Hispanic271298
 10%
Pacific Islander00
White5650
 10.7%
Two or More Races1615
 6.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients86.4%85%
 1.3%

Schools Near McDonnell Elementary School








Frequently Asked Questions about McDonnell Elementary School

In the 2023-24 school year, 445 students attended McDonnell Elementary School.

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

Middle : Whitesburg Middle School
High : Virgil Grissom High School

Students at McDonnell Elementary School are 58% Hispanic, 29% African American, 10% White, 3% Two or more races.

McDonnell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.4% of Alabama elementary schools.


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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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