Zora Ellis Junior High School

Summary:

Zora Ellis Junior High School is a public middle school in Talladega, Alabama, serving 228 students in grades 7-8. The school has a diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 17.54% White, 73.68% African American, 4.82% Hispanic, 0.44% Asian, and 3.51% two or more races.

Academically, Zora Ellis Junior High School faces significant challenges. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Alabama middle schools over the past several years, with proficiency rates in core subjects like Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts that are significantly lower than state and district averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 8.57% of 7th-grade students and 0.98% of 8th-grade students were proficient in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 23.6% and 22.06%, respectively. The school's performance also varies greatly among different student subgroups, with African American students performing better than the overall student population, but White and Hispanic students performing significantly worse.

When compared to nearby schools, Zora Ellis Junior High School performs significantly worse. For instance, NicholsLawson Middle School in the Sylacauga City district and Childersburg Middle School in the Talladega County district both outperform Zora Ellis in terms of state rankings and proficiency rates. The school's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as the racial achievement gaps observed, suggest that factors such as socioeconomic status, access to resources, and educational opportunities may be contributing to the school's overall academic challenges.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 414 Elm St
       Talladega, AL  35160


(256) 315-5700

District: Talladega City

SchoolDigger Rank:
380th of 442 Alabama Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,972 Help


Students who attend Zora Ellis Junior High School usually attend:

High:    Talladega High School

Feeder schools for Zora Ellis Junior High School:

Elementary:    C L Salter Elementary School
    Raymond L Young Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.6 Help
Number of students:  228

Racial breakdown:

African American:
73.7%
White:
17.5%
Hispanic:
4.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  91.2% Help


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 Compare Zora Ellis Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Zora Ellis Junior High School ranks worse than 86% of middle schools in Alabama. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.64. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (73.7%), White (17.5%), Hispanic (4.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 91.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Zora Ellis Junior High School is 14.6. (See more...)
Help
Compare Zora Ellis Junior High School employs 15.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Zora Ellis Junior High School is $10,972.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Zora Ellis Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Zora Ellis Junior High School 380th of 442 Alabama public middle schools. (See Zora Ellis Junior High School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:




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Rank History for Zora Ellis Junior High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 44.89 230th 407 43.5%
2005 47.34 226th 415 45.5%
2006 50.20 205th 409 49.9%
2007 29.33 313th 412 24.0%
2008 26.30 335th 417 19.7%
2009 31.60 322nd 425 24.2%
2010 32.18 326th 435 25.1%
2011 27.05 342nd 435 21.4%
2012 20.98 371st 436 14.9%
2013 28.18 355th 436 18.6%
2014 44.87 252nd 438 42.5%
2015 28.24 310th 430 27.9%
2016 13.42 372nd 432 13.9%
2017 15.54 363rd 432 16.0%
2018 19.75 337th 423 20.3%
2019 18.73 354th 437 19.0%
2021 17.26 371st 440 15.7%
2022 21.93 344th 432 20.4%
2023 17.58 369th 437 15.6%
2024 14.64 380th 442 14.0%
See the entire list of Alabama Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 22.87 191st 223 14.3%
2019 62.30 62nd 254 75.6%
2021 51.07 98th 274 64.2%
2022 46.41 106th 256 58.6%
2023 25.01 242nd 281 13.9%
2024 35.74 181st 281 35.6%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 17.54 305th 349 12.6%
2018 28.33 306th 396 22.7%
2019 23.69 320th 396 19.2%
2021 23.51 334th 415 19.5%
2022 27.31 324th 421 23.0%
2023 23.08 338th 410 17.6%
2024 18.28 372nd 437 14.9%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 14.37 330th 380 13.2%
2018 21.88 313th 392 20.2%
2019 19.99 328th 399 17.8%
2021 17.98 349th 415 15.9%
2022 24.53 328th 423 22.5%
2023 22.60 334th 417 19.9%
2024 16.05 365th 426 14.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 16.72 326th 380 14.2%
2018 18.73 325th 397 18.1%
2019 17.60 343rd 399 14.0%
2021 17.57 357th 418 14.6%
2022 19.86 356th 427 16.6%
2023 14.13 369th 419 11.9%
2024 14.55 370th 428 13.6%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 24.06 173rd 205 15.6%
2018 33.18 161st 247 34.8%
2019 32.65 172nd 252 31.7%
2021 29.23 193rd 266 27.4%
2022 40.77 135th 271 50.2%
2023 33.36 172nd 263 34.6%
2024 27.96 198th 269 26.4%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 13.84 149th 154 3.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Zora Ellis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 17.17 230th 247 6.9%
2018 18.39 293rd 331 11.5%
2019 19.60 299th 343 12.8%
2021 18.48 328th 369 11.1%
2022 18.85 336th 376 10.6%
2023 18.78 330th 370 10.8%
2024 13.38 348th 373 6.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle 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.

Zora Ellis Junior High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Zora Ellis Junior High School

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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 643 643
1989 369 295 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 665
1990 388 305 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 694
1991 374 301 1 2 0 n/a n/a 0 678
1992 358 296 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 656
1993 327 300 1 1 0 n/a n/a 0 629
1994 302 298 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 603
1995 293 317 1 3 0 n/a n/a 0 614
1996 293 317 1 3 0 n/a n/a 0 614
1997 295 313 3 2 0 n/a n/a 0 613
1998 257 291 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 552
1999 243 304 1 2 1 n/a n/a 0 551
2000 239 277 0 0 2 n/a n/a 0 518
2001 214 273 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 487
2002 207 293 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 501
2003 207 293 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 501
2004 207 281 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 490
2005 211 266 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 477
2006 188 246 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 435
2007 181 235 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 418
2008 168 228 0 1 0 n/a n/a 0 397
2009 162 204 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 368
2010 137 196 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 337
2011 111 224 0 4 0 0 0 0 339
2012 102 217 1 2 1 0 1 0 324
2013 117 220 0 5 1 0 0 0 343
2014 102 209 0 6 0 0 1 0 318
2015 74 203 1 6 0 0 2 0 286
2016 72 193 6 10 0 0 3 0 284
2017 73 197 3 14 0 0 3 0 290
2018 75 185 2 9 0 0 3 0 274
2019 84 178 2 8 0 0 2 0 274
2020 71 171 1 12 0 0 2 0 257
2021 58 206 2 15 0 0 4 0 285
2022 53 204 1 9 0 0 6 0 273
2023 40 168 1 11 0 0 8 0 228

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 Zora Ellis Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 643 32.0 20.0 0
1989 665 32.0 20.7 n/a
1990 694 32.0 21.6 0
1991 678 32.0 21.1 n/a
1992 656 32.0 20.5 n/a
1993 629 32.0 19.7 n/a
1994 603 31.8 19.0 n/a
1995 614 31.4 19.6 n/a
1996 614 31.4 19.6 n/a
1997 613 32.1 19.1 53.7
1998 552 31.3 17.6 54.5
1999 551 31.0 17.8 65.3
2000 518 33.0 15.7 67.2
2001 487 32.0 15.2 65.1
2002 501 29.2 17.2 76
2003 501 29.2 17.2 76
2004 490 29.4 16.7 72
2005 477 28.0 17.0 67.9
2006 435 26.0 16.7 72
2007 418 25.8 16.2 67.2
2008 397 26.0 15.3 66.8
2009 368 25.2 14.4 70.4
2010 337 20.5 16.4 71.2
2011 339 24.0 14.1 82
2012 324 19.5 16.6 87
2013 343 22.4 15.3 83.7
2014 318 24.8 12.8 86.2
2015 286 18.0 15.8 86
2016 284 16.0 17.7 89.4
2017 290 17.0 17.0 93.1
2018 274 16.0 17.1 86.9
2019 274 15.3 17.9 85.4
2020 257 15.3 16.7 85.6
2021 285 14.3 19.9 92.6
2022 273 14.3 19.0 62.3
2023 228 15.5 14.6 91.2

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 Zora Ellis Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 643 32.0 20.0 0
1989 665 32.0 20.7 n/a
1990 694 32.0 21.6 0
1991 678 32.0 21.1 n/a
1992 656 32.0 20.5 n/a
1993 629 32.0 19.7 n/a
1994 603 31.8 19.0 n/a
1995 614 31.4 19.6 n/a
1996 614 31.4 19.6 n/a
1997 613 32.1 19.1 53.7
1998 552 31.3 17.6 54.5
1999 551 31.0 17.8 65.3
2000 518 33.0 15.7 67.2
2001 487 32.0 15.2 65.1
2002 501 29.2 17.2 76
2003 501 29.2 17.2 76
2004 490 29.4 16.7 72
2005 477 28.0 17.0 67.9
2006 435 26.0 16.7 72
2007 418 25.8 16.2 67.2
2008 397 26.0 15.3 66.8
2009 368 25.2 14.4 70.4
2010 337 20.5 16.4 71.2
2011 339 24.0 14.1 82
2012 324 19.5 16.6 87
2013 343 22.4 15.3 83.7
2014 318 24.8 12.8 86.2
2015 286 18.0 15.8 86
2016 284 16.0 17.7 89.4
2017 290 17.0 17.0 93.1
2018 274 16.0 17.1 86.9
2019 274 15.3 17.9 85.4
2020 257 15.3 16.7 85.6
2021 285 14.3 19.9 92.6
2022 273 14.3 19.0 62.3
2023 228 15.5 14.6 91.2

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 Zora Ellis Junior High School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,549 (14.1%) $9,419 (85.8%) $10,972

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Zora Ellis Junior High 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 354th of 437 Middle schoolsRanks 369th of 437 Middle schools
 3.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade Mathematics (Zora Ellis Junior High School)19.44.6
 14.8%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Talladega City)19.44.6
 14.8%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)43.121
 22.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Zora Ellis Junior High School)17.27.2
 10%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Talladega City)17.27.2
 10%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.721.1
 23.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students274228
 16.8%
African American178168
 5.6%
American Indian00
Asian21
 50%
Hispanic811
 37.5%
Pacific Islander00
White8440
 52.4%
Two or More Races28
 300%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients85.4%91.2%
 5.8%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Zora Ellis Junior High School

Zora Ellis Junior High School ranks in the bottom 14.0% of Alabama middle schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 228 students attended Zora Ellis Junior High School.

Students who attend Zora Ellis Junior High School usually go on to attend Talladega High School

Students at Zora Ellis Junior High School are 74% African American, 18% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.


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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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