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Does Big Sandy Elementary have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
522
Elementary
DISTRICT 462 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TUSCALOOSA COUNTY·NCES 010339002350
Big Sandy Elementary
11950 Upper Hull Road, Moundville, AL 35474 · (205) 342-2840 · Tuscaloosa County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL522 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
241 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 58%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 33 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 90 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 84 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 86 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 83 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 74 | 14% |
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
61.7%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
32.6%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alabama schools, those numbers are about 53 and 32.
Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.4%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for Alabama schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alabama's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Big Sandy Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Tuscaloosa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #385 of 626 | #15 of 29 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.6% | #383 of 626 | #16 of 29 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 61.7% | #339 of 626 | #11 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 522 | #265 of 709 | #13 of 31 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.9:1 | #443 of 655 | #24 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 58.6% | #178 of 658 | #7 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.2% | #521 of 696 | #22 of 31 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +53.1% | #15 of 262 | #2 of 15 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
522
+75 (+17%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
was 21.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 522 | 29.2 | 17.9:1 | 46% (241) |
| 2023-24 | 496 | 30.4 | 16.3:1 | 56% (277) |
| 2022-23 | 480 | 25 | 19.2:1 | 54% (261) |
| 2020-21 | 447 | 21 | 21.3:1 | 41% (185) |
| 2017-18 | 341 | 17 | 20.1:1 | 39% (132) |
| 2015-16 | 337 | 17 | 19.8:1 | 30% (100) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Big Sandy Elementary.
About Big Sandy Elementary
Big Sandy Elementary runs as a mid-sized elementary school in Moundville, Alabama. Enrollment totals 522 students across pre-K through 5.
Besides Big Sandy Elementary, Tuscaloosa County runs 34 other schools. The district enrolls 19,278 students.
The largest group at Big Sandy Elementary is Black students, at 51%. Smaller groups are 39% White, 7% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. County-wide, 31% of Tuscaloosa County residents are Black. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 59%.
On staff are 29.2 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 17.9:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Alabama average 17.0:1. Big Sandy Elementary has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 46%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Big Sandy Elementary would be expected to post about 50.4%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 43.0%.
Census data for Tuscaloosa County show the median household earns about $66,231 a year, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Tuscaloosa County number 58, with about 30,508 students.
Big Sandy Elementary is about 4.1 miles from Hale County Middle School, its nearest public school. There are 4 other public schools within five miles. Big Sandy Elementary's average proficiency of 43.0% compares with 31.5% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Rural: Fringe, meaning it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment rose 17% over 4 years, reaching 522 in 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 21.3:1 to 17.9:1 over the same years.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Tuscaloosa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
237,552
Census ACS
Median income
$66,231
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
58
30,508 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Tuscaloosa County
- Tuscaloosa County High SchoolHigh · 1,607 students
- Hillcrest High SchoolHigh · 1,434 students
- Brookwood High SchoolHigh · 1,076 students
- Lake View Elementary SchoolElementary · 744 students
- Walker Elementary SchoolElementary · 743 students
- Brookwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 738 students
Other schools in Moundville
- Moundville Elementary SchoolElementary · 586 students
- Hale County High SchoolHigh · 354 students
- Hale County Middle SchoolMiddle · 243 students
Nearby schools
- Hale County Middle School4.1 mi · 243
- Hale County High School4.2 mi · 354
- Englewood Elementary School4.4 mi · 522
- Moundville Elementary School4.4 mi · 586
- Taylorville Primary School5.6 mi · 578
- Hillcrest High School6.0 mi · 1,434
Frequently asked questions
About Big Sandy ElementaryHow many students attend Big Sandy Elementary?
Big Sandy Elementary enrolls approximately 522 students in grades PK-05.
Is Big Sandy Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Big Sandy Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Big Sandy Elementary have?
Big Sandy Elementary employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.9:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Big Sandy Elementary?
At Big Sandy Elementary, the student body is approximately 39% White, 7% Hispanic, 51% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Big Sandy Elementary in?
Big Sandy Elementary is part of Tuscaloosa County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.