Enrollment
332
Elementary
DISTRICT 447 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ATHENS CITY·NCES 010012001474
James L Cowart Elementary School
1701 W Hobbs St, Athens, AL 35611 · (256) 233-6627 · Limestone County
GRADES PK–03ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL332 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of Alabama public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Alabama public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
230 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 58%
Community
0
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 | 18 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 72 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 81 | 24% |
| Grade 2 | 81 | 24% |
| Grade 3 | 80 | 24% |
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Athens City. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at James L Cowart Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
57.7%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
39.0%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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
48.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.6%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 34% 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 →
Schools most like James L Cowart Elementary School
James L Cowart Elementary School's state test result (48.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James L Cowart Elementary School this school | 332 | 69.3% | 48.4% |
| Pinedale Elementary School Enterprise | 350 | 67.4% | 60.9% |
| Cottondale Elementary School Cottondale | 438 | 70.5% | 28.4% |
| A M Windham Elementary School Daleville | 507 | 75.5% | 42.6% |
| Flatwoods Elementary School Northport | 459 | 68.6% | 36.5% |
| Brookville Elementary School Graysville | 211 | 73.5% | 34.8% |
Matched among Alabama elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where James L Cowart Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Limestone County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.4% | #324 of 626 | #10 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #318 of 626 | #11 of 12 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.7% | #384 of 626 | #9 of 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 332 | #544 of 709 | #13 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #282 of 655 | #7 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.6% | #12 of 658 | #2 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 69.3% | #235 of 696 | #4 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.5% | #199 of 364 | N/A |
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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
332
+44 (+15%) vs 2020
+1% since 1990-91, when it was 330
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 15.2:1
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 | 332 | 20 | 16.6:1 | 69% (230) |
| 2023-24 | 331 | 19.9 | 16.6:1 | 69% (228) |
| 2022-23 | 332 | 19 | 17.5:1 | 67% (223) |
| 2020-21 | 288 | 19 | 15.2:1 | 69% (198) |
| 2017-18 | 371 | 21 | 17.7:1 | 55% (204) |
| 2015-16 | 274 | 17 | 16.1:1 | 74% (204) |
| 2010-11 | 271 | 26 | 10.4:1 | 65% (176) |
| 2000-01 | 281 | 24 | 11.7:1 | 38% (106) |
| 1990-91 | 330 | 20 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James L Cowart Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (371 to 332); teachers down 5% (21 to 20).
About James L Cowart Elementary School
James L Cowart Elementary School runs as a small elementary school in Athens, Alabama. Students in pre-K through 3 make up the school's enrollment of 332 students. By comparison, elementary schools in Alabama enroll about 480 students on average.
Athens City counts 5,405 students in its 9 schools, and James L Cowart Elementary School is one of them.
The largest racial or ethnic group at James L Cowart Elementary School is White, with 36% of students. Enrollment also includes 28% Black, 27% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. The school's White share is 37 points below the 74% share among Limestone County residents. The diversity index for James L Cowart Elementary School is 71%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
On staff are 20 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 16.6:1. That is in line with the 17.0:1 average for elementary schools in Alabama. James L Cowart Elementary School has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 69%. For comparison, public schools in Limestone County average 54%.
On the allk12 Grade, James L Cowart Elementary School lands at B, ahead of 59% of Alabama public elementary schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for James L Cowart Elementary School is 33.6%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 48.4%.
American Community Survey estimates for Limestone County show that median household income comes to about $83,629, roughly 30% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Limestone County counts 27 public schools with about 24,258 students.
Athens Intermediate School is about 0.8 miles away, making it the nearest public school. James L Cowart Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools average 53.4% on proficiency, and James L Cowart Elementary School is below that at 48.4%.
Federal data place James L Cowart Elementary School in the Town: Fringe locale, which means it is in a town close to an urbanized area.
Enrollment was 332 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 288. The ratio of students to teachers went from 15.2:1 to 16.6:1 over the same years.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Limestone County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
111,233
Census ACS
Median income
$83,629
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
27
24,258 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Athens City
- Athens High SchoolHigh · 1,278 students
- Athens Middle SchoolMiddle · 935 students
- Athens Intermediate SchoolElementary · 641 students
- Athens Renaissance SchoolCombined · 606 students
- Athens Elementary SchoolElementary · 474 students
- Julian Newman Elementary SchoolElementary · 409 students
Other schools in Athens
- Alabama Connections AcademyCombined · 7,822 students
- Athens High SchoolHigh · 1,278 students
- East Limestone High SchoolHigh · 1,216 students
- Athens Middle SchoolMiddle · 935 students
- Athens Intermediate SchoolElementary · 641 students
- Athens Renaissance SchoolCombined · 606 students
Nearby schools
- Athens Intermediate School0.8 mi · 641
- Athens Elementary School1.2 mi · 474
- Julian Newman Elementary School1.6 mi · 409
- Athens Renaissance School1.6 mi · 606
- Brookhill Elementary School2.3 mi · 380
- Athens Middle School2.5 mi · 935
Frequently asked questions
About James L Cowart Elementary SchoolHow many students attend James L Cowart Elementary School?
James L Cowart Elementary School enrolls approximately 332 students in grades PK-03.
What age range does James L Cowart Elementary School serve?
James L Cowart Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 03.
How many students per teacher at James L Cowart Elementary School?
Approximately 16.6:1 students per teacher at James L Cowart Elementary School.
How diverse is James L Cowart Elementary School?
James L Cowart Elementary School reports a student body of 36% White, 27% Hispanic, 28% Black, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees James L Cowart Elementary School?
James L Cowart Elementary School is overseen by Athens City in Limestone County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.