Shades Mountain Elementary School vs Gwin Elementary School
Shades Mountain Elementary School and Gwin Elementary School are very closely rated, both scoring around 7.1 out of 10. Gwin Elementary School is significantly larger with 516 students, about 1.6× the size of Shades Mountain Elementary School (313). In math proficiency, Shades Mountain Elementary School leads at 67.0%.
Attendance data is under correction. A public school's existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating shown here may still reflect an unverified attendance input.
Shades Mountain Elementary School
Hoover, AL
313 students
Gwin Elementary School
Hoover, AL
516 students
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| Metric | Shades Mountain Elementary School | Gwin Elementary School |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 7.1 / 10 | 7.1 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| Growth Score | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 45.7% | 46.7% |
| Environment Score | 9.7 | 9.9 |
| State Rank | #393 of 1,360 | #392 of 1,360 |
| State Percentile | 71th | 71th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Shades Mountain Elementary School | Gwin Elementary School |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 67.0% | 59.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 62.0% | 52.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
Neighborhood
| Metric | Hoover (35226) | Hoover (35226) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $126,053 | $126,053 |
| Median Home Value | $387,100 | $387,100 |
| Median Rent | $1,467 | $1,467 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 68.9% | 68.9% |
| Poverty Rate | 5.7% | 5.7% |
| Avg Commute | 24 min | 24 min |
The data story: Shades Mountain Elementary School vs Gwin Elementary School
Gwin Elementary School and Shades Mountain Elementary School sit 2.7 miles apart in Hoover, Alabama, and both rank among the top 20 elementary schools in the state. Gwin Elementary School edges out overall with a 9.4/10 rating versus Shades Mountain Elementary School's 9.2/10 — a 0.2-point gap — and holds the tighter state rank at #13 of 1,356 Alabama schools compared to Shades Mountain's #20. Both schools are legitimately elite options; the differences between them are narrow but meaningful for families prioritizing specific dimensions.
The academic versus growth split is where the two schools diverge most clearly. Shades Mountain Elementary School scores higher on academics at 9.5/10 compared to Gwin Elementary School's 9.1/10 — a gap of 0.4 points suggesting stronger raw proficiency outcomes at Shades Mountain. Gwin Elementary School flips the script on growth, scoring 9.4/10 versus Shades Mountain's 8.8/10, a 0.6-point advantage that indicates students at Gwin are making faster year-over-year progress relative to expectations. Families who weigh current achievement levels will favor Shades Mountain; those who prize how much ground a school helps kids gain annually will favor Gwin.
Both schools serve PK–05 and have nearly identical free-and-reduced-lunch rates — 47% at Gwin Elementary School and 46% at Shades Mountain Elementary School — suggesting comparable socioeconomic mixes and no meaningful equity gap between them. Gwin is the larger campus, enrolling 516 students versus Shades Mountain's 313, and carries a slightly lower student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1 compared to Shades Mountain's 13.6:1. That roughly one-student-per-teacher difference is modest but gives Gwin a marginal structural edge in classroom attention despite serving nearly two-thirds more students.
Neither school differentiates on grade span — both cover PK through 5th grade — so families cannot separate them on grade availability. The decision ultimately rests on whether a parent prioritizes demonstrated academic proficiency (Shades Mountain's advantage) or student growth trajectory (Gwin's advantage), alongside practical factors like proximity to home within Hoover.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Shades Mountain Elementary School
Gwin Elementary School suits families who prioritize how much their child progresses each year over baseline proficiency benchmarks. Its 9.4/10 growth score — 0.6 points above Shades Mountain — signals a stronger lift environment, and its lower student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1 across a larger 516-student campus makes it the better fit for parents who want demonstrated momentum paired with more individual classroom access.
Gwin Elementary School
Shades Mountain Elementary School fits families focused on high academic achievement levels as a baseline. Its 9.5/10 academic score leads Gwin by 0.4 points, and its smaller enrollment of 313 students gives the school a tighter community feel. It's the stronger pick for parents who want a school where current proficiency outcomes are the primary signal of quality.