Middle Schools in Bullock County

South Highlands Middle School is the only middle school in Bullock County, serving grades 5 through 8 in Union Springs, Alabama, with 382 students and a high-poverty population where 87% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Because this is the sole middle school in the county, its performance directly defines the district's standing. The school ranks in the bottom 4% of Alabama middle schools (424th of 443) for the 2025-2026 school year, a significant drop from the prior year. Academic proficiency is critically low across all subjects. In math, only 7.95% of 6th graders, 1.1% of 7th graders, and 4.9% of 8th graders are proficient—compared to state averages of 35%, 24%, and 26%, respectively. English proficiency is somewhat better but still far behind: 29.55% of 6th graders, 25.27% of 7th graders, and just 15.69% of 8th graders meet standards, versus state rates of roughly 55-58%. The widest gaps appear in 8th grade, where science proficiency sits at 9.8% versus the state's 54.12%—a 44-point deficit. Chronic absenteeism affects 28% of students, more than double the state rate of 12%, which likely compounds these academic struggles.

There are a few encouraging signs despite the overall picture. Science proficiency more than doubled year-over-year (from 4.17% to 9.8%), and 6th-grade math improved from 3.37% to 7.95%. However, 8th-grade English dropped sharply from 32.63% to 15.69%, and 7th-grade math remains alarmingly low at 1.1%. The pattern of declining performance as grade level increases—especially in English—suggests students fall further behind as they progress. For parents, this means the school faces severe challenges tied to poverty and attendance, but targeted interventions may be starting to show modest results in some areas. Improvement efforts must focus entirely on this single institution, as there are no other middle schools in the county to serve as benchmarks or alternatives.