Gwin Elementary School vs Trace Crossings Elementary School

Gwin Elementary School and Trace Crossings Elementary School are both PK–5 schools in Hoover, Alabama, separated by 3.4 miles — but their standings in the state differ sharply. Gwin Elementary School ranks #14 of 1,356 schools in Alabama, while Trace Crossings Elementary School ranks #84 of 1,356. That 70-position gap reflects a 0.6-point overall rating difference: Gwin at 9.4/10 versus Trace Crossings at 8.8/10. Both schools are high performers by any statewide measure, but Gwin occupies a more elite tier.

The academic and growth data reinforce that gap with concrete numbers. Gwin Elementary School holds a 9.1/10 academic score against Trace Crossings Elementary School's 8.4/10 — a 0.7-point difference. On growth, which measures how much students improve relative to peers with similar starting points, Gwin scores 9.4/10 compared to Trace Crossings's 8.7/10. Gwin's growth advantage is particularly meaningful: it signals that students are accelerating, not just arriving at a higher baseline.

The two schools serve meaningfully different student populations. Trace Crossings Elementary School enrolls 758 students versus Gwin Elementary School's 516, making Trace Crossings nearly 47% larger. That size difference shows up in the classroom: Trace Crossings runs a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio while Gwin sits at 12.9:1, a gap of 2.6 students per teacher. Gwin also serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students — 47% free/reduced lunch versus 38% at Trace Crossings — making its top-14 statewide finish even more notable given that demographic context.

Both schools cover the same grade band, PK through 5, so families are choosing between genuinely comparable academic environments rather than different structural offerings. The distinction lies in Gwin's tighter classrooms and stronger measured outcomes across academic proficiency and student growth, set against Trace Crossings's larger community and somewhat lower economic need.