Middle Schools in Chilton County

The four middle schools in Chilton County, Alabama, serve grades 4 through 8 across two intermediate schools and two middle schools, with a total enrollment of 1,827 students in a district that ranks in the bottom third of the state.

There is a clear performance divide between the Clanton and Jemison schools. Clanton Intermediate School is the district's strongest performer, with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (3.7% versus the district average of 8.3%), the best student-teacher ratio among intermediate schools (20.3:1), and test scores that come closest to state averages. Clanton Middle School is the district's rising star, jumping from the 41st to 57th percentile in state rankings over two years, with a remarkable 28-point improvement in 8th-grade science proficiency to 61.54%—now exceeding the state average. In contrast, Jemison Middle School struggles the most, ranking in the bottom quartile statewide with the highest chronic absenteeism (9.4%), the highest poverty rate (72.26% free/reduced lunch), and a 7th-grade math proficiency of just 7.93%—roughly one-third of the state average. Jemison Intermediate School also lags behind its Clanton counterpart, particularly in math, where 4th-grade proficiency is 16.87% versus Clanton's 39.89%.

Mathematics is a systemic weakness across all four schools, with every grade level falling below state averages. However, English/Language Arts is a relative strength, with Clanton Intermediate's 5th-grade English reaching 64.93% and Clanton Middle's 8th-grade English at 64.29%, both near or above state averages. Resource allocation appears uneven: Jemison Intermediate has the lowest per-student spending ($7,068) and the highest student-teacher ratio (23.4:1), while Clanton Middle has the highest spending ($8,429) and most favorable ratio (16.0:1). The district's improvement story at Clanton Middle—despite having a 55.86% poverty rate—demonstrates that progress is possible, and replicating its strategies could help close the achievement gap across Chilton County.