University Place Elementary School

Set in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, University Place Elementary School is a reasonably sized primary school, run under Tuscaloosa City. It enrolls 570 students across grades pre-K through 5.

Across the 19 schools in Tuscaloosa City (11,230 students total), University Place Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, University Place Elementary School shows that 79% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest breaks down as 11% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% Asian, 2% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

On the resource side, On paper, University Place Elementary School has 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.0:1, putting University Place Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 69% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Tuscaloosa County (around 54%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, University Place Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 43.8%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Tuscaloosa County) records that median household earnings sit near $66,231, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Tuscaloosa County runs 58 public schools (combined enrollment of about 30,508 students), of which University Place Elementary School is one.

Central High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), University Place Elementary School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 36.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 60%: 357 students in 2018 compared to 570 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 13% to 4% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, members of the University Place Elementary School community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.