Middle Schools in Phenix City

The Phenix City area is served by two middle schools—Phenix City Intermediate School (grades 6-7) and South Girard School (grade 8)—which together educate about 1,569 students in the Phenix City district, a system ranked in the 41st percentile statewide with a 2-star rating.

For parents comparing the two schools, Phenix City Intermediate School is the larger campus with 1,068 students and shows stronger math scores in 6th grade (24.28% proficient) than its 7th grade (17.85%), while its English scores are solid at 52.16% and 48.79% respectively. South Girard School, with 501 students, posts the best overall state ranking (255th of 443 schools) and shines in science at 50.2% proficiency—a remarkable 13-point jump from the prior year—but its 8th grade math proficiency is just 14.29%, the lowest of any grade level in the district. English is a relative strength at both schools, with South Girard’s 54.29% proficiency nearly four times its math rate. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at both campuses, running 16.7% at Phenix City Intermediate and 18.1% at South Girard, both well above the state average of 12%.

The most striking trend is a steady decline in math proficiency as students advance: from 24.28% in 6th grade to 17.85% in 7th grade and just 14.29% in 8th grade—a 41% drop that suggests cumulative learning gaps or increasing difficulty with abstract concepts. South Girard also spends more per student ($8,878 vs. $7,963 at Phenix City Intermediate), which may reflect the cost of specialized 8th-grade programs. Both schools have improved their state rankings recently, and the district’s stable 2-star rating masks this positive momentum. Parents should watch math instruction closely, especially the transition into 8th grade, while noting that science at South Girard and English across both schools offer brighter spots worth building on.