Summary:
The 35473 zip code area in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama is home to two elementary schools: Flatwoods Elementary School and FaucettVestavia Elementary School. While both schools serve economically disadvantaged communities, with high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, FaucettVestavia Elementary stands out as the higher-performing school in the area.
FaucettVestavia Elementary consistently earns higher statewide rankings, with 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger, compared to only 1-2 stars for Flatwoods Elementary. This performance gap is evident in student test scores, with 83.93% of 3rd graders at FaucettVestavia proficient in English, compared to just 48.53% at Flatwoods. Additionally, FaucettVestavia has a lower student-teacher ratio of 14.7, which may contribute to its stronger academic outcomes.
Despite serving a more economically advantaged population, FaucettVestavia's student body is less racially diverse than Flatwoods, with a majority White student population. This suggests that factors beyond just funding and resources, such as student demographics, teacher quality, and school leadership, may be driving the performance differences between the two schools. Understanding these underlying factors could inform strategies to improve educational outcomes for all students in the Tuscaloosa County school district.
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