Escambia lands 4 on state’s top 25 list
The Escambia County School System landed four schools in the top 25 of the most academic improved schools across the state of Alabama, landing the most schools on that list than any other school system in the state.
The rankings were based on the state’s school report cards for the 2022-23 school year.
Escambia County Middle/High Schools improved from a 56 score in 2022 to a 70 in 2023, earning a C. Pollard-McCall Jr. High School went from a 72 to an 84, earning a B; W.S. Neal Elementary School went from a 70 to an 83 earning a B; and W.S. Neal High School went from a 75 to an 87 earning a B.
All four schools will received an $8,000 check for their academic improvement.
“Our district has made tremendous gains over our last testing and reporting period, but these four schools made some of the greatest gains in the state,” Interim Superintendent Michele Collier told the school board Thursday. “They’re among the top 25. They gained between 11 and 14 points. That’s amazing.”
Former Superintendent Michele McClung said raising test scores was one of her promises when hired as the system’s superintendent and was thrilled to see that 40 percent of the system’s schools made the top 25.
“Striving for continuous improvement in both my personal life and professional career ultimately led me here to Escambia County during the COVID pandemic in 2021,” McClung said. “I’ve celebrated many outstanding accomplishments during my 33 years in education, but none more than seeing 40 percent of our entire school system on the state’s top 25 most improved schools list in Alabama this year.”
She said as the outgoing superintendent, she feels blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many outstanding leaders in the community and personally witness the growth leading to the school system being the most improved in the state of Alabama.
“The long hours and challenging work completed here affirms how important it is to be thoughtful, reflective, intentional and determined to persevere because our kids are worth the sacrifices we educators make day in and day out with the hope of making a difference in our students’ lives,” McClung said. “I’m immensely proud to share 80 percent of our schools in Escambia County improved significantly and as a result, the district moved from a 77 to an 84. I can tell you this accomplishment did not happen by chance, it happened by design.”
She noted no other school system in the state had 40 percent of their schools on the most improved list.
“Ultimately, our students and community benefit from this growth and I couldn’t be more proud,” McClung said. “I’m extremely thankful to the nearly 750 employees at all levels of the school system who went the extra mile to support our students and families. It is my sincere hope the Escambia County community continue to cheer on all or our students, all of our schools and leaders of the school system while championing the motto ‘We Are One’.”
