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Kate D Smith DAR Middle

Q: Is Kate D Smith DAR Middle a good school?

Kate D Smith DAR Middle ranks 160 th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

160^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 64% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Kate Duncan Smith DAR Middle in Grant, AL, is a solid, dependable choice for families in the Marshall County district, serving 376 students in grades 5 through 8 with a stable 3-star rating that has held steady for the past five years.

The most impressive thing about this school is how consistently students show up. With a chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.9%—compared to 12% statewide—it's clear that kids here are engaged and families are connected to the school. Academically, Kate Duncan Smith outperforms its own district by a wide margin in both math and English across all grade levels. For example, 8th-grade English proficiency sits at 74.71% versus the district's 51.03%, and 8th-grade science is a standout at 57.95% proficiency, beating both the district and state averages. When compared to nearby Albertville Middle School, Kate Duncan Smith ranks significantly higher (64th vs. 35th percentile statewide) and posts stronger test scores. It's worth noting that elite schools in the Huntsville City district, like Hampton Cove Middle School, do score higher, but they serve a very different demographic and operate with more resources—so that comparison isn't apples-to-apples.

There are a couple of areas parents might want to watch. Math proficiency takes a noticeable dip between 6th and 7th grade (from 36.73% down to 13.95%), which is a common middle school challenge but worth asking about. Also, female students currently rank lower than male students in overall performance, suggesting there may be room to better support girls academically. On the positive side, the school is cost-efficient, spending less per student than most nearby schools while still delivering strong results, and special education services have shown a big improvement this year. Overall, Kate Duncan Smith DAR Middle is a reliable, high-attendance school that gives students a solid academic foundation, especially in science and English.

376

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,218

Per pupil spending ?

35.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6077 Main St
Grant, AL 35747-8333

(256) 728-5950

District: Marshall County

Students who attend Kate D Smith DAR Middle usually attend:

High:

Kate D Smith DAR High School

Feeder schools for Kate D Smith DAR Middle:

Elementary:

Kate D Smith DAR Primary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.0%

Hispanic:

5.6%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Kate D Smith DAR Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Alabama median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg32%

Alabama avg44%

160^th of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 41% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Marshall County

97^th of 140Marshall County among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	160 of 449	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.2	159 of 439	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	142 of 442	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.1	154 of 437	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	176 of 432	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	155 of 440	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	136 of 437	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.7	97 of 423	77.1%	★★★★☆
2017	67.0	112 of 432	74.1%	★★★★☆
2016	56.0	175 of 432	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.6	120 of 430	72.1%	★★★★☆
2014	70.3	92 of 438	79.0%	★★★★☆
2013	71.0	98 of 436	77.5%	★★★★☆
2012	72.9	95 of 436	78.2%	★★★★☆
2011	76.1	79 of 435	81.8%	★★★★☆
2010	82.3	50 of 435	88.5%	★★★★☆
2009	72.7	87 of 425	79.5%	★★★★☆
2008	75.5	66 of 417	84.2%	★★★★☆
2007	74.3	78 of 412	81.1%	★★★★☆
2006	78.8	49 of 409	88.0%	★★★★☆
2005	66.3	102 of 415	75.4%	★★★★☆
2004	44.5	232 of 407	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	169 of 427	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	186 of 415	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	155 of 426	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	130 of 417	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.9	121 of 423	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.1	102 of 415	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	85 of 399	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	73.9	80 of 392	79.6%	★★★★☆
2017	58.2	140 of 380	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	153 of 438	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.9	161 of 428	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.2	159 of 437	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.2	257 of 410	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	259 of 421	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.3	147 of 415	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.3	133 of 396	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.2	100 of 396	74.7%	★★★★☆
2017	60.4	100 of 349	71.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	149 of 426	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.0	123 of 422	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	64.0	124 of 428	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	55.9	159 of 419	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.1	226 of 427	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	227 of 418	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	206 of 399	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	68.8	104 of 397	73.8%	★★★★☆
2017	71.9	74 of 380	80.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	142 of 269	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.4	213 of 271	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.9	109 of 281	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	49 of 281	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	41.1	140 of 256	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.4	160 of 274	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.9	183 of 254	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.5	103 of 223	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	38.1	116 of 195	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	224 of 359	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.4	198 of 377	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	180 of 373	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.7	199 of 370	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	224 of 376	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	193 of 369	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	162 of 343	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	121 of 331	63.4%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile~ school

Male (2026)65th percentile~ school

Female (2026)60th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)47th percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English63%+6 vs state

Science58%+4 vs state

Mathematics26%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kate D Smith DAR Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)					Summative Assessment Science (2026)		Summative Assessment English (2026)					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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th 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
Kate D Smith DAR Middle	Public	6-8	6077 Main St	Grant	35747	Marshall County	Marshall County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 728-5950	376	21	17.8	35.1%	331 (88.0%)	4 (1.1%)	21 (5.6%)	4 (1.1%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	59.2	160^th of 449 public middle schools	64.4%		59.2	159^th of 439 public middle schools	63.8%	1			36.7	14.0	26.1		58.0			61.2	52.3	74.7	$7,218	$751	$6,455
Guntersville Middle School	Public	6-8	901 Sunset Drive	Guntersville	35976	Marshall County	Guntersville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 582-5182	381	22	17.4	53.8%	264 (69.3%)	51 (13.4%)	45 (11.8%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.4%)	66.9	122^nd of 449 public middle schools	72.8%		68.2	106^th of 439 public middle schools	75.9%	16			44.7	30.5	19.1		54.8			64.0	76.2	61.1	$8,940	$1,343	$7,544
Collins Intermediate School	Public	4-6	102 Legion Dr	Scottsboro	35768	Jackson County	Scottsboro City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 218-2700	538	28	19.5	53.9%	415 (77.1%)	34 (6.3%)	64 (11.9%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)								(n/a)	46.0	58.6	56.8			65.4		60.5	68.6	66.5			$9,552	$1,463	$8,052
Scottsboro Junior High School	Public	7-8	1601 Heroes Drive	Scottsboro	35768	Jackson County	Scottsboro City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 218-2300	356	20	17.5	47.8%	271 (76.1%)	15 (4.2%)	56 (15.7%)	5 (1.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	55.9	187^th of 449 public middle schools	58.4%		69.5	104^th of 439 public middle schools	76.3%	83				21.8	18.8		60.2				57.5	58.0	$9,158	$1,276	$7,844
Hampton Cove Middle School	Public	6-8	261 Old 431 Highway	Hampton Cove	35763	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-8380	785	35	22.4	10.8%	611 (77.8%)	36 (4.6%)	46 (5.9%)	31 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (7.5%)	97.7	7^th of 449 public middle schools	98.4%		97.4	6^th of 439 public middle schools	98.6%	1			70.2	63.5	67.3		86.4			85.7	88.3	93.8	$6,081	$152	$5,927
Challenger Middle School	Public	6-9	13555 Chaney Thompson Rd	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7620	425	23	18.4	35.3%	219 (51.5%)	97 (22.8%)	66 (15.5%)	14 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.8%)	82.9	53^rd of 449 public middle schools	88.2%		82	54^th of 439 public middle schools	87.7%	1			31.7	40.6	40.8		85.4			67.2	80.4	80.8	$8,912	$1,270	$7,641
Mountain Gap Middle School	Public	6-8	821 Mountain Gap Road SE	Huntsville	35803	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7720	366	23	15.9	33.6%	234 (63.9%)	63 (17.2%)	36 (9.8%)	6 (1.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.8%)	91.1	33^rd of 449 public middle schools	92.7%		88	44^th of 439 public middle schools	90.0%	11			51.6	61.3	48.3		81.7			78.0	74.8	78.3	$7,782	$767	$7,014
Albertville Intermediate School	Public	5-6	901 W McKinney Ave	Albertville	35950	Marshall County	Albertville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 878-7698	843	42	20.0	67.6%	267 (31.7%)	46 (5.5%)	496 (58.8%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.1%)								(n/a)		31.0	39.1						62.9	54.4			$6,876	$1,257	$5,602
Albertville Middle School	Public	7-8	600 E Alabama Ave	Albertville	35950	Marshall County	Albertville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 878-2341	849	43	19.7	66.2%	262 (30.9%)	45 (5.3%)	518 (61.0%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.0%)	36	288^th of 449 public middle schools	35.9%		37.9	283^rd of 439 public middle schools	35.5%	5				21.7	15.7		39.6				41.1	50.0	$8,100	$1,469	$6,615

Frequently Asked Questions about Kate D Smith DAR Middle

What high school do graduates of Kate D Smith DAR Middle attend?

Students who attend Kate D Smith DAR Middle usually go on to attend Kate D Smith DAR High School

Is Kate D Smith DAR Middle a good school?

Kate D Smith DAR Middle ranks 160^th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Kate D Smith DAR Middle in?

Marshall County

What is the racial makeup of Kate D Smith DAR Middle?

Students at Kate D Smith DAR Middle are 88% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Kate D Smith DAR Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 376 students attended Kate D Smith DAR Middle.

Rate Kate D Smith DAR Middle!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.