By Michael Butler

Report cards have come out for the public schools’ sector from the Alabama Department of Education. Tallassee’s overall score rose six points from last year’s average.

All three schools in the TCS system were better for the 2023-24 year than the year prior. Tallassee received an 84 average compared to a 78 last year.

The highest score was an 88 by Tallassee Elementary, up from an 81 the previous year. Southside Middle improved to an 85 from a 75. The high school’s score rose to a 76 from a 65 in 2022-23.

Alabama’s average also increased from an 83 to an 85.

There are six indicators used to calculate a school’s grade for the report card: academic achievement, academic growth, progress in English language proficiency, chronic absenteeism, graduation rate and college and career readiness.

“I’ve got to give the parents credit and the students credit for showing up,” TCS Superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin said of attendance. “If you’re not at school, you’re not learning anything.”

The 11-point jump at the high school level was the biggest move overall. Factors for scoring at the high school level are:

• Graduation Rate: 30 percent
• Academic Growth: 25 percent
• Academic Achievement: 20 percent
• College and Career Readiness: 10 percent
• Chronic Absenteeism: 10 percent
• English Language Proficiency: 5 percent

“We’d love to be an “A” district and are working toward that,” said Nolin. “Hopefully, we’ll continue that push this year.”