Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

John P Powell Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

396^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 439 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 10% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

John P Powell Middle School is a public middle school located in Lafayette, Alabama, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 144 students. The school is part of the Chambers County School District, which is ranked 108 out of 135 districts in Alabama and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

John P Powell Middle School consistently performs below the state and county averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Mathematics ranged from 4.08% to 13.95%, compared to the state averages of 24.08% to 33.97%. Similarly, in English, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 21.74% to 39.53%, compared to the state averages of 54.48% to 56.81%. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 12.0% to 17.9% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing John P Powell Middle School to other nearby schools in the same district, such as W.F. Burns Middle School, as well as schools in other districts like Fox Run School, Handley Middle School, Opelika Middle School, and Lanett Junior High School, it is clear that John P Powell Middle School is consistently one of the lowest-performing schools in the region. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, from 364 out of 430 Alabama middle schools in 2014-2015 to 396 out of 439 in 2024-2025, indicating a concerning trend of declining academic performance.

140

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,362

Per pupil spending ?

76.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Ave A SE
Lafayette, AL 36862

(334) 864-8274

District: Chambers County

Students who attend John P Powell Middle School usually attend:

High:

Lafayette High School

Feeder schools for John P Powell Middle School:

Elementary:

Lafayette Eastside Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.9%

White:

17.9%

Hispanic:

7.1%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare John P Powell Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (17% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg25%

Alabama avg42%

396^th of 439

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Chambers County

108^th of 135Chambers County among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	396 of 439	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	397 of 442	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	362 of 437	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	372 of 432	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	393 of 440	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	387 of 437	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	388 of 423	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	378 of 432	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.0	375 of 432	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.4	364 of 430	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.7	368 of 438	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.1	399 of 436	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.4	397 of 436	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.9	403 of 435	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.1	413 of 435	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	23.9	357 of 425	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.7	405 of 417	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.7	400 of 412	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.4	385 of 409	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	28.0	324 of 415	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.2	396 of 407	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	225 of 259	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	219 of 269	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	179 of 263	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	186 of 271	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.8	208 of 266	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	184 of 252	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	203 of 247	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.3	163 of 205	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	358 of 415	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	364 of 426	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	344 of 417	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	361 of 423	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	391 of 415	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	346 of 399	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	357 of 392	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.5	340 of 380	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	370 of 428	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	390 of 437	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	336 of 410	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	361 of 421	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	370 of 415	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	370 of 396	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.2	382 of 396	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.4	310 of 349	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	385 of 422	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	398 of 428	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	348 of 419	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	376 of 427	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	364 of 418	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	361 of 399	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	365 of 397	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.8	330 of 380	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2021	40.9	153 of 274	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.9	251 of 254	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	334 of 377	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	291 of 370	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2021)44th percentile+33 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English29%-27 vs state

Science11%-31 vs state

Mathematics8%-19 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate John P Powell Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate John P Powell Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near John P Powell Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)					Summative Assessment Science (2025)		Summative Assessment English (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John P Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	300 Ave A SE	Lafayette	36862	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 864-8274	140	8	18.2	76.4%	25 (17.9%)	102 (72.9%)	10 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	13.3	396^th of 439 public middle schools	9.8%		12.4	397^th of 442 public middle schools	10.2%	1			14.0	4.1	6.4		10.6			39.5	24.5	21.7	$13,362	$4,042	$9,306
Lanett Junior High School	Public	7-8	1301 South 8th Avenue	Lanett	36863	Chambers County	Lanett City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 644-5950	147	9	17.2	58.5%	7 (4.8%)	86 (58.5%)	51 (34.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	14.5	383^rd of 439 public middle schools	12.8%		10.8	411^th of 442 public middle schools	7.0%	28				6.4	7.6		10.6				33.8	29.0	$10,778	$2,436	$8,339
W F Burns Middle School	Public	6-8	292 Johnson St	Valley	36854	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	No	(334) 756-3567	545	29	19.0	57.4%	257 (47.2%)	205 (37.6%)	73 (13.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	27.6	322^nd of 439 public middle schools	26.7%		26.9	330^th of 442 public middle schools	25.3%	8			14.4	8.1	11.9		36.2			38.6	47.3	36.8	$8,033	$1,242	$6,776
Opelika Middle School	Public	4-8	1206 Denson Dr	Opelika	36801	Lee County	Opelika City	No	No	No	No	(334) 745-9726	812	50	16.3	73.2%	231 (28.4%)	410 (50.5%)	149 (18.3%)	9 (1.1%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	51.5	198^th of 439 public middle schools	54.9%		54.1	184^th of 442 public middle schools	58.4%	14				22.5	23.3		42.3				52.0	48.7	$8,645	$934	$7,550
Fox Run School	Public	6	1100 Fox Run Parkway	Opelika	36801	Lee County	Opelika City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(334) 745-9751	392	21	18.8	74.5%	109 (27.8%)	192 (49.0%)	76 (19.4%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.8%)								(n/a)			31.9							56.6
Handley Middle School	Public	4-8	251 Gilham Rd	Roanoke	36274	Randolph County	Roanoke City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 539-5265	483	28	17.5	69.2%	280 (58.0%)	182 (37.7%)	7 (1.4%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	49.6	212^th of 439 public middle schools	51.7%		43.8	241^st of 442 public middle schools	45.5%	29	28.9	20.6	25.0	19.2	15.6	34.0	42.2	44.3	65.0	57.0	52.5	60.0	$8,210	$1,230	$6,981

Frequently Asked Questions about John P Powell Middle School

What district is John P Powell Middle School in?

Chambers County

What is the racial makeup of John P Powell Middle School?

Students at John P Powell Middle School are 73% African American, 18% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of John P Powell Middle School attend?

Students who attend John P Powell Middle School usually go on to attend Lafayette High School

How many students attend John P Powell Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 140 students attended John P Powell Middle School.

Is John P Powell Middle School a good school?

John P Powell Middle School ranks in the bottom 9.8% of Alabama middle schools.

Rate John P Powell Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ALAlabama Middle School Rankings

ALAlabama District Rankings

Schools in Lafayette, AL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for John P Powell Middle School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.