Madison County Schools earned its highest numeric score on the Alabama State Department of Education report card this year, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Carrie Bass told the board during the Nov. 20 meeting. The district received a 91A overall and “100% of our points earned for academic growth,” Bass said.

The result reflects gains across grade bands and subgroups, Bass said. Overall graduation rate was reported at 95.66 and college-and-career-readiness at 91.45. Bass said academic achievement improved by about 4% and academic growth rose 3% year over year. “When we pull out that subgroup data, we are seeing that in every subgroup we're getting gains there,” she said, noting students with disabilities met growth targets at a 91% rate.

Bass singled out elementary and middle schools that improved numerically and said 11 of 17 elementary schools received an A; two Title I elementary schools, Harvest Elementary and Madison Crossroads, improved from C to B. All high schools improved numerically, three high schools earned A grades, and the district’s virtual school (MCVA) rose seven points on its report card.

Bass placed the results in fiscal context, noting Madison County serves about 20,639 students with a per-pupil expenditure she reported as $11,071 and a poverty rate of about 44.68% — figures she used to underscore the district’s relative performance against large peers. “There are only two systems that have higher scores than we do — Hoover City and Madison City,” she said. Both city systems serve fewer students and have higher per-pupil spending, Bass added.

The presenter also flagged a notable concern: chronic absenteeism increased from 13% to 14.35% in 2024–25. “This is the one area that is harder for the school, the principals, the leadership, the teachers to control,” she said, urging family partnership to improve attendance.

The board and administrators were asked to celebrate and publicly recognize staff and teachers for the result; Bass showed a short collection of social-media highlights and encouraged outreach to schools to validate teachers’ work. The board then moved on to other business, including executive-session planning.

The district’s report-card presentation cited the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reporting framework and the state report card as the primary measures used.

What’s next: Bass said the district expects to analyze subgroup-level data more deeply and continue efforts on attendance; no new formal policy decisions were made during the presentation.