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Ira F Simmons Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

38^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 443 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 91% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Ira F Simmons Middle School in Hoover, AL, serves 860 students in grades 6 through 8 within the highly-rated Hoover City district, which ranks in the 91st percentile statewide.

Simmons is a consistent top performer, maintaining a 5-star rating for a decade and currently ranking 38th out of roughly 430 middle schools in Alabama. What makes this particularly impressive is the school's economic diversity—44.3% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a rate nearly double that of nearby Berry Middle School (30.1%) and more than four times that of Pizitz Middle School (10.2%). Despite these differences, Simmons outperforms the state average by a wide margin and remains competitive with its more affluent neighbors. The school's standout strength is its exceptional support for Special Education students, ranking 7th out of 266 schools statewide (97th percentile)—a remarkable achievement that sets it apart from peer schools. With a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1, Simmons demonstrates a strong "value-add" approach, driving academic growth and closing achievement gaps for a diverse student body.

However, there are areas for attention. Mathematics is the school's relative weakness, with 6th-grade math proficiency (57.2%) below the district average (60.8%) and significantly behind Berry (64.4%), Oak Mountain Middle School (60.6%), and Robert F Bumpus Middle School (60.0%). This gap persists across all grade levels. On the positive side, 8th-grade Science is a clear strength, with 71.8% proficiency—well above the state average of 54.1%. Chronic absenteeism has improved significantly, dropping from 9.3% to 6.7% over two years, though it remains slightly above the district average. Located just 2.8 miles from Pizitz Middle School (ranked #2 in the state), Simmons faces intense competition in the Birmingham metro area, yet its stability, strong special education program, and ability to achieve high results with a diverse student body make it one of the most reliable high-performing schools in Alabama.

860

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,051

Per pupil spending ?

44.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1575 Patton Chapel Road
Hoover, AL 35226-2257

(205) 439-2100

District: Hoover City

Students who attend Ira F Simmons Middle School usually attend:

High:

Hoover High School

Feeder schools for Ira F Simmons Middle School:

Elementary:	Bluff Park Elementary School
	Green Valley Elementary School
	Gwin Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.1%

African American:

26.3%

Hispanic:

14.0%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Ira F Simmons Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (65% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Alabama middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg70%

Alabama avg44%

38^th of 443

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 4% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Hoover City

13^th of 139Hoover City 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	90.0	38 of 443	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	90.1	38 of 439	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	31 of 442	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	92.2	29 of 437	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	90.7	32 of 432	92.6%	★★★★★
2021	87.3	33 of 440	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	88.8	35 of 437	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	93.6	22 of 423	94.8%	★★★★★
2017	94.5	19 of 432	95.6%	★★★★★
2016	95.1	19 of 432	95.6%	★★★★★
2015	95.6	17 of 430	96.0%	★★★★★
2014	90.1	29 of 438	93.4%	★★★★★
2013	78.8	48 of 436	89.0%	★★★★☆
2012	79.9	51 of 436	88.3%	★★★★☆
2011	78.5	61 of 435	86.0%	★★★★☆
2010	82.9	46 of 435	89.4%	★★★★☆
2009	89.4	23 of 425	94.6%	★★★★★
2008	85.4	30 of 417	92.8%	★★★★★
2007	86.1	28 of 412	93.2%	★★★★★
2006	89.0	22 of 409	94.6%	★★★★★
2005	89.1	26 of 415	93.7%	★★★★★
2004	87.2	25 of 407	93.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	80.1	32 of 266	88.0%	★★★★☆
2025	82.7	25 of 259	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.1	29 of 269	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	30 of 263	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.7	33 of 271	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	69.0	55 of 266	79.3%	★★★★☆
2019	70.8	43 of 252	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	83.3	26 of 247	89.5%	★★★★☆
2017	73.3	32 of 205	84.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	17 of 20	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	57.2	9 of 20	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.0	15 of 20	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.7	11 of 15	26.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	77.7	2 of 18	88.9%	★★★★★
2021	31.0	18 of 22	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.2	14 of 19	26.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	85.4	3 of 18	83.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	72.3	17 of 103	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	65.0	23 of 117	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	16 of 106	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	8 of 94	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	73.0	8 of 81	90.1%	★★★★★
2021	74.1	7 of 70	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	73.1	6 of 31	80.6%	★★★★☆
2018	41.0	13 of 25	48.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	89.8	33 of 422	92.2%	★★★★★
2025	90.0	27 of 415	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	88.5	34 of 426	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	89.9	35 of 417	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	31 of 423	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	83.5	39 of 415	90.6%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	39 of 399	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	30 of 392	92.3%	★★★★★
2017	88.6	27 of 380	92.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	79.7	10 of 82	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	56.3	64 of 173	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.3	30 of 164	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	29 of 166	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	38 of 157	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	65.2	38 of 154	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	61.0	40 of 124	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.2	20 of 113	82.3%	★★★★☆
2017	78.0	18 of 108	83.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	72.2	87 of 432	79.9%	★★★★☆
2025	74.6	75 of 428	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	65 of 437	85.1%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	71 of 410	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	40 of 421	90.5%	★★★★★
2021	67.2	97 of 415	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	64 of 396	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.6	71 of 396	82.1%	★★★★☆
2017	75.4	51 of 349	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	87.9	41 of 421	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	87.3	44 of 422	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	93.2	24 of 428	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	92.2	27 of 419	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	90.0	30 of 427	93.0%	★★★★★
2021	87.9	30 of 418	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	89.1	30 of 399	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	95.4	15 of 397	96.2%	★★★★★
2017	96.0	13 of 380	96.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	77.5	31 of 145	78.6%	★★★★☆
2025	67.0	19 of 92	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	12 of 78	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	14 of 72	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	57.7	25 of 60	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	30 of 61	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	26 of 46	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.7	12 of 30	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.1	10 of 21	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2024	35.6	43 of 69	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.2	31 of 61	49.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	93.9	7 of 266	97.4%	★★★★★
2025	86.6	20 of 271	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	10 of 281	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	7 of 281	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.5	8 of 256	96.9%	★★★★★
2021	83.1	13 of 274	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	72.5	30 of 254	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	24 of 223	89.2%	★★★★☆
2017	82.9	9 of 195	95.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	96.7	7 of 355	98.0%	★★★★★
2025	93.5	19 of 377	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	13 of 373	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.5	13 of 370	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	8 of 376	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	94.5	13 of 369	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	17 of 343	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	16 of 331	95.2%	★★★★★
2017	95.8	14 of 247	94.3%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)98th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)97th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)90th percentile~ school

African American (2026)88th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)88th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)79th percentile-13 vs school

Native American (2024)38th percentile-55 vs school

Asian (2026)15th percentile-76 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English76%+19 vs state

Science72%+18 vs state

Mathematics53%+24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ira F Simmons Middle School

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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
Ira F Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	1575 Patton Chapel Road	Hoover	35226	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 439-2100	860	62	13.8	44.3%	448 (52.1%)	226 (26.3%)	120 (14.0%)	29 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (4.1%)	90	38^th of 443 public middle schools	91.4%		90.1	38^th of 439 public middle schools	91.3%				57.2	47.4	53.6		71.8			74.6	72.9	80.4	$12,051	$881	$11,168
Pizitz Middle School	Public	6-8	2826 Columbiana Road	Vestavia	35216	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5350	1,131	75	15.0	10.2%	934 (82.6%)	50 (4.4%)	36 (3.2%)	94 (8.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.4%)	98.7	2^nd of 443 public middle schools	99.5%		98.8	3^rd of 439 public middle schools	99.3%	1			81.8	64.9	77.1		94.1			88.4	92.0	93.8	$10,929	$585	$10,343
Robert F Bumpus Middle School	Public	6-8	6055 Flemming Parkway	Hoover	35244	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-2200	1,192	78	15.3	22.6%	612 (51.3%)	317 (26.6%)	71 (6.0%)	123 (10.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (5.5%)	94.2	20^th of 443 public middle schools	95.5%		95.9	12^th of 439 public middle schools	97.3%	8			60.0	53.5	47.9		81.6			81.3	85.5	85.3	$11,153	$612	$10,539
Pelham Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2016 Pelham Park Boulevard	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Pelham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 624-3702	835	45	18.5	46.1%	359 (43.0%)	161 (19.3%)	240 (28.7%)	26 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.6%)	56.4	179^th of 443 public middle schools	59.6%		59.7	153^rd of 439 public middle schools	65.1%	26			30.3	20.9	14.6		58.5			62.1	63.3	61.1
Berry Middle School	Public	6-12	4500 Jaguar Dr	Hoover	35242	Shelby County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-2000	1,058	73	14.5	30.1%	611 (57.8%)	208 (19.7%)	96 (9.1%)	90 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (4.9%)	96	13^th of 443 public middle schools	97.1%		95.7	15^th of 439 public middle schools	96.6%	2			64.4	57.9	58.2		85.3			83.6	83.1	85.7	$10,356	$823	$9,533
Jones Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	2000 31st Street SW	Birmingham	35221	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-1040	465	22	21.6	85.8%	2 (0.4%)	386 (83.0%)	68 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)	8.4	421^st of 443 public middle schools	5.0%		8	426^th of 439 public middle schools	3.0%	5			3.9	1.3	0.8		17.1			28.1	30.6	25.6	$11,995	$2,095	$9,898
STAR Program Middle	Public	6-8	2280 Highway 35	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 682-5800																			(n/a)
Homewood Middle School	Public	6-8	395 Mecca Avenue	Homewood	35209	Jefferson County	Homewood City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 220-5152	1,000	69	14.4	28.3%	670 (67.0%)	166 (16.6%)	108 (10.8%)	14 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (3.9%)	96.2	12^th of 443 public middle schools	97.3%		96.1	10^th of 439 public middle schools	97.7%	2			73.9	67.2	61.9		86.6			78.2	86.9	83.1	$11,292	$1,285	$9,985
Green Acres Middle School	Public	6-8	1220 67th Street West	Birmingham	35228	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-1370	309	14	22.0	84.5%	4 (1.3%)	266 (86.1%)	36 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	14.7	387^th of 443 public middle schools	12.6%		18.1	370^th of 439 public middle schools	15.7%	17			11.0	5.8	5.3		18.8			37.8	36.3	34.4	$14,583	$5,618	$8,963
Legacy Prep Intermediate	Public, Charter	4-8	2900 S Park Dr SW	Birmingham	35124	Shelby County	Legacy Prep	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 573-0777	219	11	19.9	84.5%	0 (0.0%)	210 (95.9%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	14.9	385^th of 443 public middle schools	13.1%					(n/a)	16.0	7.6	8.0	1.8	0.0	30.0	22.2	32.0	47.2	38.0	35.7	44.4

Frequently Asked Questions about Ira F Simmons Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Ira F Simmons Middle School?

Students at Ira F Simmons Middle School are 52% White, 26% African American, 14% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Ira F Simmons Middle School in?

Hoover City

Is Ira F Simmons Middle School a good school?

Yes. Ira F Simmons Middle School ranks in the top 8.6% of Alabama middle schools.

How many students attend Ira F Simmons Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 860 students attended Ira F Simmons Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Ira F Simmons Middle School attend?

Students who attend Ira F Simmons Middle School usually go on to attend Hoover High School

Rate Ira F Simmons Middle School!

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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.