Kilby Laboratory School Ranks on U.S. News & World Report List for First Time
Jan. 10, 2024
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Kilby Laboratory School on the University of North Alabama campus has ranked 21st among Best Elementary Schools in Alabama on the list out from U.S. News & World Report. It is the first time for Kilby to appear in this publication, and it is among the Top 40 percent of elementary school in Alabama, making it a U.S. News Best Elementary Schools. Kilby’s overall score is 96.98 out of 100 possible points.
“Kilby Laboratory School continues to be among our ‘Markers of Excellence’ at UNA,” said Dr. Matt Green, Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. “Benefits to students attending Kilby include a rich array of programs with small class sizes where individual attention is the norm. Robotics, theater, music, and the arts are consistent components of the experience as well. While some are abundantly obvious, numerous additional advantages exist which may be overlooked. UNA students in teacher preparation programs are immersed in multiple ways with Kilby faculty in a model where they are engaged in clinical experiences and internships throughout their coursework in their program of study.”
For each state, schools were assessed on their pupils’ proficiency in mathematics and reading as measured by state assessment tests. Half of the ranking formula were the results themselves; the other half were the results in context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are high-achieving ones that succeeded in educating all of their students. In addition to Kilby’s ranking as 21 in Alabama Elementary Schools, it ranked first in Florence City Elementary Schools.
“I believe this ranking reflects the hard work and dedication to excellence of our entire Kilby community,” said Dr. Eric Kirkman, Director of Kilby and an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Human Sciences. “There is a long-standing tradition of high expectations and high achievement at Kilby, and that culture continues to drive the expectations of our current students who have bought in to doing things the ‘Kilby Way.’”
In addition to the U.S. News & World Report ranking, Kilby faculty have recently been ranked number one in Alabama according to the Niche rankings, and in the top 1 percent for public elementary school teachers nationally (308 out of 46,825). As Alabama’s only laboratory school, Kilby scored a 98 on its state report card and is ranked in the top three percent of all elementary schools in Alabama.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/