Summary:
Blount County, Alabama is home to just one middle school, Hayden Middle School, which serves grades 5 through 7 and enrolls 437 students in the Blount County district.
Hayden Middle School is a consistently strong performer, earning a 4-star rating for three straight years and ranking in the low-80s percentile statewide. Its 5th and 6th graders shine brightest: 5th-grade English proficiency hits 84.3% (nearly 15 points above the state average), and 6th-grade math proficiency tops the state by more than 18 points. The school also keeps students engaged, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 4.6%—less than half the state average of 12%. Even in 7th-grade math, where proficiency dips to 37.68%, the school still outperforms its district peers by a remarkable 15.69 percentage points, suggesting strong math instruction even in tougher grades.
The biggest challenge is a clear "7th-grade slump." English proficiency falls from 84.3% in 5th grade to 68.29% in 6th, then drops sharply to 57.97% in 7th—a 13.89-point decline year-over-year for that grade. Math follows a similar, though less severe, pattern. This suggests the transition to 7th grade brings tougher coursework or other hurdles that the school hasn't fully addressed. With a moderate free/reduced lunch rate of 34.32% and per-student spending of $7,757, Hayden achieves strong results efficiently. If it can smooth out that 7th-grade transition, especially in English, this already solid school could become an elite one.
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