High Schools in Madison City

Madison City, Alabama is served by two top-performing high schools—James Clemens High School and Bob Jones High School—both covering grades 9-12 within the highly-rated Madison City school district, which ranks in the 92nd percentile statewide.

Both schools are elite academic performers, consistently ranking among the top 22 in Alabama. James Clemens holds a slight edge in test scores, ranking 14th in the state (96th percentile) and leading in all subjects—math proficiency at 58.4% versus 53.4% at Bob Jones, science at 63.0% versus 61.0%, and English at 55.2% versus 53.3%. These scores are roughly double the state averages, with James Clemens' math proficiency more than twice the state's 27.2%. However, Bob Jones counters with a slightly higher graduation rate of 96.2% versus 95.8%, and both schools rank within one position of each other in the latest year (14th vs. 15th). Both schools also showed impressive year-over-year improvement, with James Clemens jumping 12.8 points in math proficiency.

Despite their academic excellence, both schools report chronic absenteeism rates (11.2% at James Clemens, 12.1% at Bob Jones) that exceed the district average of 8.6%, though they remain at or below the state average of 12.0%. The schools serve a moderate proportion of economically disadvantaged students (23-25% free/reduced lunch) and achieve these results with efficient resource use—per-student spending around $9,370 and student-teacher ratios near 18:1. With nearly identical enrollment (2,159 vs. 2,048 students), these two schools offer families two outstanding, roughly equivalent options, with James Clemens excelling in rigorous academics and Bob Jones slightly ahead in ensuring all students cross the graduation finish line.