Middle Schools in Calhoun County

Calhoun County, Alabama is home to two middle schools serving grades 5 through 8: Alexandria Middle School and White Plains Middle School, both part of the Calhoun County district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the middle tier of Alabama school systems.

For parents comparing the two, White Plains Middle School stands out as the more consistent performer, maintaining a 4-star rating for three straight years. It excels in upper-grade math and science, with 8th grade math proficiency (33.71%) and science proficiency (67.42%) both well above state averages. It also has the lower chronic absenteeism rate (7.1% vs. 9.4%) and spends more per student ($8,745 vs. $8,103) with a slightly better student-teacher ratio. Meanwhile, Alexandria Middle School is the improvement story, showing dramatic gains in 5th and 6th grade math (50.43% and 57.78% proficiency, respectively) and earning its first 4-star rating in 2024-2025. However, Alexandria struggles significantly in 7th grade, with math proficiency at just 17.04% and English at 50.37%—both below district and state averages.

Both schools share notable strengths and challenges. They significantly outperform the state in 8th grade science, with Alexandria at 65.77% and White Plains at 67.42% versus the state's 54.12%. Attendance is a positive factor at both schools, as they beat the state's 12.0% chronic absenteeism rate. However, parents should be aware of year-over-year volatility in scores, likely due to small class sizes—for example, White Plains' 8th grade math dropped from an extraordinary 48.94% to 33.71% in one year. The inverse grade-level performance patterns suggest each school has different instructional strengths, so visiting both and asking about transition supports between grades is advisable.