Middle Schools in Tuscaloosa County

Summary:

The Tuscaloosa County school district in Alabama is home to 9 middle schools serving grades 5-8, with student populations ranging from 312 to 841. While the schools share some common challenges, such as higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates, a few standout institutions emerge based on their academic performance and other key metrics.

Sipsey Valley Middle School and Northside Middle School rank among the top 200 middle schools in Alabama and are both rated 3 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger. Sipsey Valley stands out for its strong proficiency rates in mathematics and science, while Northside excels in English language arts. In contrast, DavisEmerson Middle School struggles with lower proficiency rates, particularly in mathematics.

The data reveals significant disparities in funding and socioeconomic factors across the Tuscaloosa County middle schools. Schools with higher poverty rates, as measured by free/reduced lunch eligibility, tend to have lower academic outcomes. Additionally, the wide range in spending per student, from $6,871 to $10,233, may contribute to the performance differences observed. Addressing these inequities will be crucial in ensuring all students in Tuscaloosa County have access to a high-quality education.

District Detail

2314 9th St
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2568

(205) 758-0411

SchoolDigger Rank:
84^th of 135 Alabama districts

See the 2025 Alabama District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 19,278

Primary Schools: 19
Middle Schools: 9
High Schools: 7
Alternative Schools: 1

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)				Summative Assessment Science (2025)	Summative Assessment English (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hillcrest Middle School	Public	6-8	401 Hillcrest School Rd	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2820	542	28	19.3	58.7%	80 (14.8%)	424 (78.2%)	24 (4.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	22.6	342^nd of 439 public middle schools	22.1%		26.4	334^th of 442 public middle schools	24.4%	8		12.4	12.2	8.9	20.1		40.5	41.8	37.6	$8,185	$843	$7,319
CollinsRiverside Middle School	Public	5-6	1400 3rd St	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2680	318	18	17.4	74.5%	75 (23.6%)	156 (49.1%)	80 (25.2%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)	23.9	23.1				50.0	40.0			$8,444	$849	$7,571
Echols Middle School	Public	7-8	2701 Echols Ave	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2884	738	42	17.5	55.1%	350 (47.4%)	212 (28.7%)	151 (20.5%)	9 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.8%)	51.5	199^th of 439 public middle schools	54.7%		46.2	230^th of 442 public middle schools	48.0%	31			20.2	18.3	39.1			58.9	52.3	$6,871	$719	$6,063
Brookwood Middle School	Public	6-8	17021 Brookwood Parkway	Vance	35490	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2748	738	37	19.9	48.8%	530 (71.8%)	118 (16.0%)	70 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.6%)	27.1	323^rd of 439 public middle schools	26.4%		25.5	337^th of 442 public middle schools	23.8%	14		15.4	9.2	10.3	25.3		38.9	45.8	47.3	$6,930	$795	$6,111
Duncanville Middle School	Public	6-8	11205 Eagle Parkway	Duncanville	35456	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2830	460	21	21.9	48.9%	238 (51.7%)	176 (38.3%)	34 (7.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	49.7	210^th of 439 public middle schools	52.2%		54.5	181^st of 442 public middle schools	59.0%	29		26.7	21.1	22.6	42.3		50.3	54.9	52.9	$8,738	$1,009	$7,706
Northside Middle School	Public	6-8	19130 Northside Parkway	Northport	35546	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2740	394	24	16.7	27.4%	358 (90.9%)	8 (2.0%)	19 (4.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	5 (1.3%)	53.7	181^st of 439 public middle schools	58.8%		60.5	149^th of 442 public middle schools	66.3%	32		33.6	24.1	21.4	30.4		57.0	64.1	52.6	$8,133	$1,036	$7,072
DavisEmerson Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Bulldog Blvd	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2750	397	21	18.9	79.3%	87 (21.9%)	165 (41.6%)	137 (34.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	19.2	361^st of 439 public middle schools	17.8%		24.8	338^th of 442 public middle schools	23.5%	23		13.5	7.1	7.6	21.5		28.8	38.4	40.6	$9,532	$2,028	$7,480
Sipsey Valley Middle School	Public	5-8	15817 Romulus Rd	Buhl	35446	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2870	575	28	20.3	46.4%	393 (68.3%)	101 (17.6%)	70 (12.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.4%)	53.3	183^rd of 439 public middle schools	58.3%		44.6	236^th of 442 public middle schools	46.6%	53	28.7	26.9	24.1	24.4	49.6	69.3	44.2	50.4	63.8	$10,233	$632	$7,231
Northport Intermediate School	Public	5-6	13688 Frankie Thomas Trace	Northport	35475	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2690	500	25	19.6	44.0%	302 (60.4%)	101 (20.2%)	87 (17.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)								(n/a)	35.8	37.4				74.7	77.9

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Tuscaloosa City	2.72 mi	21	80^th
I Dream Big Charter Schools	5.48 mi	1
Hale County	10.19 mi	8	111^th
Bibb County	23.58 mi	9	85^th
Pickens County	25.22 mi	7	104^th

See the top AL Alabama districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.