South Shades Crest Elementary, 3770 South Shades Crest Road: grades K to 2, 530 students; 2024-25 state report card grade A, 100 points.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the school’s website; Hoover City Schools’ School Zones page, School Locator Map and 2026-27 calendar (PDF); the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2024-25 and 2023-24; the federal NCES school directory for 2024-25.
South Shades Crest Elementary, at 3770 South Shades Crest Road, is a Hoover City Schools elementary school serving kindergarten through second grade. Alabama graded it an A, with 100 points, on its 2024-25 report card, and counted 530 students there.
The school opened in August 1995 for kindergarten through fifth grade. A 2018 realignment made it a kindergarten through second grade school, and its students move on to Brock’s Gap Intermediate for third through fifth grade, according to the school’s About page, which puts enrollment at about 500.
Who to call
- Front office: 205-439-3000, 3770 South Shades Crest Road
- School website: ssces.hoovercityschools.net
- Enrolling a new student: the district’s registration page
- Which school is my address zoned for? Student Services, 205-439-1016
- Buses: HCS Transportation, 205-439-1120, and the bus stop finder
- District office: 205-439-1000, 2810 Metropolitan Way
| Address | 3770 South Shades Crest Road, Hoover, AL 35244 |
| Phone | 205-439-3000 |
| Grades | K to 2 (the federal directory also lists pre-K) |
| County | Jefferson County |
| District | Hoover City Schools |
| State school code | 158-0815 |
Principal
Principal Kara Scholl, according to the school’s principal page, which says she was named principal in 2013. The About page names LaRue Frederick as assistant principal; the school’s menu lists Aldric Bennett.
Enrollment and teachers
- State count: 530 students on the 2024-25 Alabama state report card, up from 504 on the 2023-24 card.
- Federal count: 534 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 35.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is a ratio of 15.04 students per teacher.
State report card
Alabama grades every public school from A to F each year. The grade comes from a 100-point score built from students’ achievement and growth on state tests in English language arts and math, chronic absenteeism (the share of students who missed 18 or more days) and progress in English language proficiency, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card rules.
2024-25 grade: A, 100 points. The 2023-24 card gave South Shades Crest Elementary an A with 99 points. Hoover City Schools as a whole earned an A, with 95 points.
| Indicator | 2024-25 score |
|---|---|
| Academic achievement (ELA and math tests) | 100 |
| Academic growth | 100 |
| Progress in English language proficiency | 80 |
| Chronic absenteeism (lower is better) | 1.99% of students |
The full report card, with results by student group, teachers and spending, is on the state’s report card site.
Attendance zone
On the district’s School Locator Map, last updated Dec. 2, 2025, the South Shades Crest Elementary zone feeds Bumpus Middle and then Hoover High. Students in the zone attend South Shades Crest for kindergarten through second grade and Brock’s Gap Intermediate for third through fifth grade.
The district says the map is for information only and is not legally binding. Apartment and multifamily addresses are in a separate apartment zone guide (PDF). Students who want a Hoover school other than their zoned one apply in the district’s yearly transfer window.
Calendar
South Shades Crest Elementary follows the Hoover City Schools 2026-27 calendar (PDF). Coming dates:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, schools closed
- Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
- Friday, Dec. 18: early dismissal, end of the second nine weeks
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
- March 22-26, 2027: spring break
- Thursday, May 27, 2027: last day for students
More
- The school’s website and the district’s school contact list
- Every public school in Hoover, with zones and report cards
- Our Hoover schools guide for the district calendar, registration and the Board of Education
Frequently asked questions
What grades does South Shades Crest Elementary serve?
South Shades Crest Elementary serves kindergarten through second grade, and the federal school directory also lists pre-K classes there.
What is South Shades Crest Elementary’s state report card grade?
South Shades Crest Elementary earned an A, with 100 points, on Alabama’s 2024-25 state report card, after an A with 99 points on the 2023-24 card.
Which middle and high school does South Shades Crest Elementary feed into?
Bumpus Middle and then Hoover High, according to the district’s school zone map.
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