The annual report cards for the three Perry County Schools, Francis Marion, R. C. Hatch, and Breakthrough, were recently released by the State Department of Education. Among these schools, Francis Marion and R. C. Hatch are designated as Title I schools, which are schools that receive federal funding to support low-income students across the country. This funding is granted to schools with a high population of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. As all of our Title I schools are designated as “school-wide” Title I schools, every student in these schools is eligible for services. If data shows a need for interventions, whether due to low performance or at-risk behaviors, any student can receive Title I services. With Perry County being a high poverty area, the school system is eligible for Title I funds.
The school-by-school report card is as follows:
Francis Marion C score 75
- C. Hatch C score 71
Breakthrough D score 63
Academic Growth
Francis Marion 85.44
Breakthrough 82.30
- C. Hatch. 80.42
Absenteeism
- C. Hatch. 44.25
Breakthrough 40.16
Francis Marion 33.73
College Readiness
- C. Hatch 87.76
Francis Marion 81.19
Breakthrough unclassified
Graduation Rate
Francis Marion 94.89
- C. Hatch 89.80
Breakthrough unclassified
Perry County Schools are in need of improvement in various areas, with absenteeism being a major concern. It is crucial for parents to actively support their children’s schools in achieving higher attendance rates within the district. As Dr. Smiley points out, the schools cannot effectively educate students if they are not present. In comparison to the state average, the Perry County Schools are not performing as well overall. However, it is worth noting that their performance in Title 1 districts is above the state average. This is a positive sign, but there is still room for improvement. According to the Alabama Department of Education, the annual state report card shows an overall score of 83 for the schools, which equates to a “B” grade. This is a slight decrease from the previous year’s score of 84. While there have been some improvements in college and career readiness and academic achievement, there is still work to be done.
