Summary:
Lineville, Alabama, is home to a single middle school, Central Junior High School of Clay County, which serves grades 7 and 8 with an enrollment of 282 students within the Clay County district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this school shows a clear split between strengths and challenges. The standout positive is science: 8th grade science proficiency jumped an impressive 18 points in one year, reaching 58.87% in 2025-2026, which is now above the state average of 54.12%. This dramatic improvement suggests that targeted instructional changes can yield real results. However, mathematics is a major concern, especially in 8th grade, where only 10.42% of students are proficient—nearly 16 points below the state average and actually declining from the prior year. English Language Arts also shows a troubling pattern, with 8th grade scores (40.85%) lagging far behind the state (58.53%), while 7th grade ELA is closer to average. Across every subject, 8th grade performance is worse than 7th grade, indicating a possible "grade 8 slump" that may stem from a tougher curriculum or compounding learning gaps.
The school serves a majority low-income population, with 59.22% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, yet its chronic absenteeism rate of 10.6% is better than both the district and state averages, showing good attendance engagement. The overall state ranking has remained stagnant in the bottom 40% (38th percentile, 2 stars) despite the science gains, suggesting that math and reading struggles are holding back the school's overall rating. Since this is the only middle school in the district, its scores mirror the district exactly. The student-teacher ratio is 17.2:1, and the most recent spending data is outdated at $7,408 per student from 2018-2019. In short, this is a school with a proven ability to improve in science, but parents should be aware that significant work is needed in math and 8th grade reading to lift overall performance.
Thank you for your feedback!