Three Atmore-area schools among 5 in county with gains over previous year
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Though the gains were relatively small, half the 10 Escambia County schools — including three in or just outside Atmore — that were graded by state education officials showed improvement over the previous year.
According to the annual “Report Cards” issued by the Alabama Department of Education, Escambia County Middle School (ECMS) showed the most improvement among county schools, based on various statewide test scores, followed by Huxford Elementary (HES) and Rachel Patterson Elementary (RPES).
ECMS received a grade of 75, a 5-point gain, while HES improved from 79 to 82, and RPES scored 78, 2 points higher than the previous year’s 76. Huxford’s score was the highest among Atmore-area schools, and each of the three earned a 100-percent score in academic growth.
The report indicated that Escambia County High (ECHS) continues to struggle in the statewide grading. ECHS, which was among the state’s lowest-scoring schools last year with a 65, dropped to 59. The 6-point slip was the largest decrease among county schools.
Flomaton Elementary posted the county system’s highest score, a 90 (up from 88), while Flomaton High showed a 3-point gain, from 80 to 83.
Among the system’s remaining schools, each of which fell a few points off the previous year, scores were Pollard-McCall Junior High (82, a slight drop from 84); W.S. Neal Elementary (80, down from 83); W.S. Neal High (77, down from 81), and W.S. Neal Middle (79, 2 points lower than last year).
Districtwide, Escambia County scored 83, only slightly lower than the state’s overall grade of 85.
The 2023-24 school year was the first in which the Alabama Literacy Act was fully implemented. Under its provisions, students will be retained if they have not met a certain score on a literacy test taken at the end of third grade.
County schools are closed this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Atmore News plans to provide more details, along with comments from Superintendent of Education Dr. Michele Collier and principals of the local schools, in next week’s edition