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

Best Middle Schools in Mobile, AL

At a glance

Schools

6,106

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedBarton Academy For Advanced World Studies3^rd of 449 Alabama middle schools

▲

Biggest riser

Calloway Smith Middle School up 36 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Phillips Preparatory Middle School 13.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

1★

0★

Compare Alabama cities →See the top-ranked Alabama schools →

Summary:

Mobile, Alabama is home to 13 middle schools serving grades 6-8 (with two extending to grade 9), spanning the Mobile County district and the MAEF Public Charter Schools district, and these schools present a dramatic split between a handful of elite magnet programs and many struggling neighborhood schools.

For parents, the standout options are the selective magnet schools. Barton Academy For Advanced World Studies is the top performer, ranking 3rd in the state with near-perfect English proficiency (100% in 6th grade) and only 1.2% chronic absenteeism. Phillips Preparatory Middle School (10th in state) and ClarkShaw Magnet School (15th in state) also excel, with English proficiency above 88% and absenteeism below 5%. Denton Magnet School of Technology (23rd in state) posts the highest 8th-grade math proficiency in the dataset at 84% and an incredible 0.8% absenteeism rate. In contrast, neighborhood schools like Pillans Middle School (399th) and Mobile County Training Middle School (415th) struggle profoundly, with math proficiency in the single digits and chronic absenteeism above 26% at Pillans. The free/reduced lunch data tells a clear story: the top four schools all have rates below 52%, while the lowest-performing schools exceed 89%.

Math is the biggest challenge across nearly all schools—even Barton's 6th-grade math proficiency (76%) lags its English score (100%). Encouragingly, Calloway Smith Middle School has shown real improvement, jumping from 353rd to 300th in state rankings with math proficiency doubling. Per-student spending varies wildly, from $16,619 at Mobile County Training to $7,398 at Bernice J Causey Middle School, yet higher spending does not translate to better outcomes. The Acceleration Preparatory Academy charter school ranks 418th despite low absenteeism, showing the charter model hasn't yet closed the gap. Ultimately, the city's middle schools are a tale of two systems—magnet schools rival the best in Alabama, while many neighborhood schools need urgent support, particularly in math and attendance.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th 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
Acceleration Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	3725 Airport Blvd	Mobile	36608	Mobile County	MAEF Public Charter Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(251) 301-0050	322			83.5%	5 (1.6%)	294 (91.3%)	9 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	9.2	424^th of 449 public middle schools	5.6%		8.6	421^st of 439 public middle schools	4.1%	3	5.0	5.6	0.8	23.8	17.8	28.7	28.8
Denton Magnet School of Technology	Public, Magnet	6-8	3800 Pleasant Valley	Mobile	36608	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-2148	334	16	20.8	51.2%	96 (28.7%)	181 (54.2%)	17 (5.1%)	19 (5.7%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.4%)	93.5	23^rd of 449 public middle schools	94.9%		90.5	37^th of 439 public middle schools	91.6%	14	47.0	49.6	84.2	87.1	80.5	85.6	88.1	$15,451	$2,677	$12,681
Booker T Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	1961 Andrews St	Mobile	36617	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2361	270	19	14.2	92.6%	6 (2.2%)	251 (93.0%)	10 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	14	400^th of 449 public middle schools	10.9%		14.4	384^th of 439 public middle schools	12.5%	16	12.4	0.0	10.0	25.0	27.8	30.1	40.5	$13,851	$3,912	$9,846
Dunbar Creative Performing Arts	Public, Magnet	6-8	500 Saint Anthony St	Mobile	36603	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(251) 221-2160	338	22	15.3	69.8%	33 (9.8%)	280 (82.8%)	8 (2.4%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	63.1	141^st of 449 public middle schools	68.6%		64.5	123^rd of 439 public middle schools	72.0%	18	22.9	15.2	31.0	57.5	65.3	74.1	70.8	$14,305	$3,367	$10,846
ClarkShaw Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-9	5960 Arlberg Street	Mobile	36608	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-2106	582	31	18.7	48.1%	133 (22.9%)	367 (63.1%)	32 (5.5%)	27 (4.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.6%)	95.6	15^th of 449 public middle schools	96.7%		93.1	24^th of 439 public middle schools	94.5%	9	75.7	54.4	40.8	88.5	90.6	84.8	88.5	$12,201	$1,846	$10,262
Mobile County Training Middle School	Public	6-8	800 Whitley St	Mobile	36610	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2267	193	14	13.7	94.3%	0 (0.0%)	188 (97.4%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	10	421^st of 449 public middle schools	6.2%		13.1	398^th of 439 public middle schools	9.3%	23	1.9	1.9	1.4	31.4	25.9	32.1	23.2	$23,695	$7,229	$16,373
Pillans Middle School	Public	6-8	2051 Military Rd	Mobile	36605	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2300	440	25	17.6	89.8%	21 (4.8%)	384 (87.3%)	20 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)	12.8	406^th of 449 public middle schools	9.6%		8	427^th of 439 public middle schools	2.7%	21	11.7	0.9	2.2	35.1	30.2	24.8	35.3	$13,329	$4,286	$8,950
Phillips Preparatory Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	3255 Old Shell Rd	Mobile	36607	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-2286	453	34	13.3	43.3%	156 (34.4%)	215 (47.5%)	23 (5.1%)	36 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	96.3	9^th of 449 public middle schools	98.0%		95.9	11^th of 439 public middle schools	97.5%	2	69.6	58.4	44.4	88.2	91.3	85.4	91.7	$13,345	$2,233	$11,019
CL Scarborough Model Middle School	Public	6-8	1800 Phillips Ln	Mobile	36618	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2323	641	33	19.4	86.1%	30 (4.7%)	560 (87.4%)	32 (5.0%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.2%)	19.8	364^th of 449 public middle schools	18.9%		19.3	360^th of 439 public middle schools	18.0%	4	15.2	9.6	11.0	35.8	23.8	41.7	35.4	$12,397	$3,294	$9,010
Burns Middle School	Public	6-8	6175 Girby Rd	Mobile	36693	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2025	568	37	15.3	76.2%	111 (19.5%)	361 (63.6%)	55 (9.7%)	15 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	22 (3.9%)	15	389^th of 449 public middle schools	13.4%		19.2	362^nd of 439 public middle schools	17.5%	27	11.6	3.9	6.0	32.7	29.1	27.4	42.1	$12,462	$3,310	$9,060
Calloway Smith Middle School	Public	6-8	350 N Lawrence St	Mobile	36603	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2042	315	22	14.3	90.5%	4 (1.3%)	299 (94.9%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	33.6	302^nd of 449 public middle schools	32.7%		23.5	338^th of 439 public middle schools	23.0%	36	17.3	19.8	14.7	44.8	37.3	48.4	48.4	$18,406	$4,165	$14,148
Bernice J Causey Middle School	Public	6-8	2205 Mcfarland Rd	Mobile	36695	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-2060	1,339	68	19.6	52.1%	668 (49.9%)	436 (32.6%)	132 (9.9%)	46 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (4.1%)	67.2	120^th of 449 public middle schools	73.3%		67.4	112^th of 439 public middle schools	74.5%	8	39.3	24.1	36.1	64.3	61.7	54.4	68.2	$10,580	$2,318	$8,169
Barton Academy For Advanced World Studies	Public, Magnet	6-9	504 Government Street	Mobile	36602	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-1040	311	19	16.3	20.6%	192 (61.7%)	77 (24.8%)	13 (4.2%)	19 (6.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	98.4	3^rd of 449 public middle schools	99.3%		99	2^nd of 439 public middle schools	99.5%	1	75.8	48.2	69.3	90.7	100.0	92.9	98.7	$17,631	$1,518	$16,019

Cities Near Mobile

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Eight Mile	2.23 mi	3	287^th
Prichard	4.39 mi	5	271^st
Chickasaw	5.64 mi	5	282^nd
Saraland	6.12 mi	4	7^th
Semmes	6.96 mi	4	185^th

See the top AL Alabama cities

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.