Enrollment
164
Elementary
DISTRICT 264 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SELMA CITY·NCES 010297001158
Payne Elementary School
1529 N Franklin St, Selma, AL 36701 · (334) 874-1660 · Dallas County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL164 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 39% of Alabama public elementary schools
- C-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
16.4:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.4:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
158 students
DISTRICT 86% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 17 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 23 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 16 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 28 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 13 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 35 | 21% |
| Grade 6 | 32 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (17) is 47% smaller than its 6th grade class (32).
Student demographics
1%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 8% · 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 Selma City. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
40.0%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
19.1%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 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
29.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
14.0%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+15.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 14% 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 Payne Elementary School
Payne Elementary School's state test result (29.0% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payne Elementary School this school | 164 | 96.3% | 29.0% |
| Clark Elementary School Selma | 113 | 97.3% | 27.4% |
| Southside Primary School Selma | 147 | 87.8% | N/A |
| Fort Deposit Elementary School Fort Deposit | 186 | 87.1% | 28.6% |
| Grant Elementary School Prichard | 285 | 94.4% | 14.0% |
| Whitley Elementary School Prichard | 237 | 87.3% | 30.3% |
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 Payne Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Dallas County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.0% | #517 of 626 | #5 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.1% | #521 of 626 | #4 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #547 of 626 | #6 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 164 | #680 of 709 | #6 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 96.3% | #2 of 696 | #2 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.1% | #42 of 364 | #5 of 7 |
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
164
-11 (-6%) vs 2020
-57% since 1990-91, when it was 383
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 164 | 10 | 16.4:1 | 96% (158) |
| 2023-24 | 174 | 9 | 19.3:1 | 97% (169) |
| 2022-23 | 176 | 12 | 14.7:1 | 97% (171) |
| 2020-21 | 175 | 12 | 14.6:1 | 97% (170) |
| 2017-18 | 228 | 15.5 | 14.7:1 | 97% (222) |
| 2015-16 | 287 | 18 | 15.9:1 | 80% (231) |
| 2010-11 | 334 | 21 | 15.9:1 | 86% (287) |
| 2000-01 | 222 | 18 | 12.3:1 | 99% (219) |
| 1990-91 | 383 | 20 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Payne Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 28% (228 to 164); teachers down 35% (15.5 to 10).
About Payne Elementary School
Payne Elementary School is a small elementary school in Selma, Alabama, administered by Selma City. The grade span is kindergarten through 6, and enrollment is 164 students. An average school in this group (elementary schools in Alabama) has about 480 students.
Payne Elementary School is a school in Selma City. The district has 8 schools and 2,301 students.
Black students are the large majority at Payne Elementary School, with 99% of enrollment. Dallas County as a whole is about 70% Black, so the school's share is higher. Payne Elementary School has a diversity index of 1%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 10 full-time positions, a ratio of 16.4:1. Across elementary schools in Alabama, the average ratio is about 17.0:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 96%. That is 11 points above the 85% average for public schools in Dallas County.
The allk12 Grade for Payne Elementary School is C+. Compared with Alabama public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 39% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 14.0% for Payne Elementary School. The school posts 29.0%, 15.0 points above the prediction.
According to the American Community Survey, in Dallas County, median household income is about $35,627, roughly 18% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Payne Elementary School is one of 23 public schools in Dallas County, which together enroll about 4,584 students.
The nearest other public school, Selma High School, is about 0.6 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. On average proficiency, Payne Elementary School is 2nd of 8 nearby schools with test data.
For locale, NCES codes Payne Elementary School as Town: Distant.
Enrollment was 175 in 2020-21 and 164 in 2024-25, a decrease of 11 students. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 14.6:1 to 16.4:1.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Payne Elementary School. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Dallas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
36,858
Census ACS
Median income
$35,627
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
26%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
4,584 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Selma City
- Selma High SchoolHigh · 680 students
- Edgewood Elementary SchoolElementary · 402 students
- Meadowview Elementary SchoolElementary · 334 students
- Sophia P Kingston Elementary SchoolElementary · 305 students
- The RBHudson STEAM AcademyMiddle · 279 students
- Clark Elementary SchoolElementary · 113 students
Other schools in Selma
- Selma High SchoolHigh · 680 students
- Edgewood Elementary SchoolElementary · 402 students
- Meadowview Elementary SchoolElementary · 334 students
- Sophia P Kingston Elementary SchoolElementary · 305 students
- Southside High SchoolHigh · 285 students
- The RBHudson STEAM AcademyMiddle · 279 students
Other Payne Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Payne Elementary. Payne Elementary School is the 4th largest of the 4.
- Payne Elementary SchoolWashington, DC · 398 students
- Payne Elementary SchoolPayne, OH · 263 students
- Payne ElemWichita, KS · 231 students
Nearby schools
- Selma High School0.6 mi · 680
- Clark Elementary School0.6 mi · 113
- Saints Virtual Academy0.6 mi · 24
- The RBHudson STEAM Academy0.7 mi · 279
- Sophia P Kingston Elementary School0.9 mi · 305
- Edgewood Elementary School0.9 mi · 402
Frequently asked questions
About Payne Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Payne Elementary School?
Payne Elementary School enrolls approximately 164 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does Payne Elementary School serve?
Payne Elementary School serves grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Payne Elementary School have?
Payne Elementary School employs 10 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Payne Elementary School?
Student demographics at Payne Elementary School are roughly 99% Black, 1% Two or more.
What district is Payne Elementary School in?
Payne Elementary School is part of Selma City.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.