Summary:
Pelham City is home to one middle school, Pelham Park Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 835 students in the Pelham City district, a system ranked 42nd out of 139 districts in Alabama with a 4-star rating.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Pelham Park Middle School shows a clear split in academic strengths. The school is a standout in English Language Arts, with proficiency rates in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades (62%, 63%, and 61% respectively) all running 5 to 8 percentage points above state averages. It also posted a remarkable turnaround in 8th-grade science, jumping from 41% proficiency to 58.5% in one year, now well above the state mark. However, mathematics is a significant weakness. Proficiency in math is below state averages at every grade level, and the problem worsens as students advance: 6th grade sits at 30%, 7th grade at 21%, and 8th grade plunges to just 14.6%—nearly 12 points below the state average. This decline in upper-grade math is the school’s most pressing issue.
On a positive note, the school environment appears healthy. Chronic absenteeism is just 7.5%, far better than the state average of 12%, and the student-teacher ratio is 18.5. About 46% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a diverse socioeconomic mix. Despite strong English scores, excellent attendance, and a science improvement, the school’s state ranking has slipped over three years, from the 73rd to the 60th percentile. This suggests that the low and falling math scores are dragging down the overall rating, overshadowing the school’s clear successes in other subjects. For parents, this means a school that excels in literacy and science but requires serious attention and support in mathematics.
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