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John P Powell Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

Summary

John P Powell Middle School in Lafayette, AL, is a small school serving 140 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Chambers County district. It serves a predominantly low-income community, with about 76% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The school's biggest challenge is mathematics. In 2024-2025, only 4% of 7th graders and 6% of 8th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of 24% and 25% respectively. Science is also a concern—just 11% of 8th graders were proficient, versus 36% at W F Burns Middle School, a school in the same district just 13 miles away. English Language Arts is the relative bright spot, with 6th graders reaching 40% proficiency, nearly matching the district average. However, performance drops sharply in 7th and 8th grades, suggesting students may struggle as coursework becomes more demanding.

There are some encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism improved from 16.4% to 13.3% in the past year, and 6th grade math proficiency rose from 9% to 14%. Still, the school spends significantly more per student ($13,362) than nearby schools like W F Burns Middle School ($8,033) without achieving better results. Even Lanett Junior High School, located in Alabama's lowest-ranked district, outperforms John P Powell in 7th grade math and ELA. For parents, the key takeaway is that while the school faces real challenges—especially in math and science—there are small signs of progress, and the 6th grade year appears to be the strongest foundation for students.

140

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,362

Per pupil spending ?

76.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Ave A SE
Lafayette, AL 36862

(334) 864-8274

District: Chambers County

Students who attend John P Powell Middle School usually attend:

High:

Lafayette High School

Feeder schools for John P Powell Middle School:

Elementary:

Lafayette Eastside Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

72.9%

White:

17.9%

Hispanic:

7.1%

See top rated Alabama public schools

Compare John P Powell Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (17% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

!Science scores 31 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg25%

Alabama avg42%

Not ranked this year

John P Powell Middle School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

110^th of 139Chambers 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
2025	13.3	396 of 439	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	397 of 442	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	362 of 437	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	372 of 432	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	393 of 440	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	387 of 437	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	388 of 423	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	378 of 432	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.0	375 of 432	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.4	364 of 430	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.7	368 of 438	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.1	399 of 436	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.4	397 of 436	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	10.9	403 of 435	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.1	413 of 435	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	23.9	357 of 425	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.7	405 of 417	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.7	400 of 412	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.4	385 of 409	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	28.0	324 of 415	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.2	396 of 407	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	225 of 259	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	219 of 269	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	179 of 263	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	186 of 271	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.8	208 of 266	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	184 of 252	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	203 of 247	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.3	163 of 205	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	358 of 415	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	364 of 426	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	344 of 417	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	361 of 423	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	391 of 415	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	346 of 399	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	357 of 392	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.5	340 of 380	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	370 of 428	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	390 of 437	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	336 of 410	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	361 of 421	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	370 of 415	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	370 of 396	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.2	382 of 396	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.4	310 of 349	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	385 of 422	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	398 of 428	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	348 of 419	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	376 of 427	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.0	364 of 418	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	361 of 399	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	365 of 397	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.8	330 of 380	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2021	40.9	153 of 274	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.9	251 of 254	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	334 of 377	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	291 of 370	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2021)44th percentile+33 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English29%-27 vs state

Science11%-31 vs state

Mathematics8%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near John P Powell 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	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
John P Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	300 Ave A SE	Lafayette	36862	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 864-8274	140	8	18.2	76.4%	25 (17.9%)	102 (72.9%)	10 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)								(n/a)													$13,362	$4,042	$9,306
Lanett Junior High School	Public	7-8	1301 South 8th Avenue	Lanett	36863	Chambers County	Lanett City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 644-5950	147	9	17.2	58.5%	7 (4.8%)	86 (58.5%)	51 (34.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	8.2	422^nd of 443 public middle schools	4.7%		14.5	383^rd of 439 public middle schools	12.8%	39				1.2	5.9		20.6				20.2	20.6	$10,778	$2,436	$8,339
W F Burns Middle School	Public	6-8	292 Johnson St	Valley	36854	Chambers County	Chambers County	No	No	No	No	(334) 756-3567	545	29	19.0	57.4%	257 (47.2%)	205 (37.6%)	73 (13.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	29.2	317^th of 443 public middle schools	28.4%		27.6	322^nd of 439 public middle schools	26.7%	5			22.4	8.5	11.2		55.9			41.5	37.5	40.6	$8,033	$1,242	$6,776
Opelika Middle School	Public	4-8	1206 Denson Dr	Opelika	36801	Lee County	Opelika City	No	No	No	No	(334) 745-9726	812	50	16.3	73.2%	231 (28.4%)	410 (50.5%)	149 (18.3%)	9 (1.1%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	52.9	202^nd of 443 public middle schools	54.4%		51.5	198^th of 439 public middle schools	54.9%	4				22.7	27.4		58.9				46.5	53.8	$8,645	$934	$7,550
Fox Run School	Public	6	1100 Fox Run Parkway	Opelika	36801	Lee County	Opelika City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(334) 745-9751	392	21	18.8	74.5%	109 (27.8%)	192 (49.0%)	76 (19.4%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.8%)								(n/a)			35.1							56.7
Handley Middle School	Public	4-8	251 Gilham Rd	Roanoke	36274	Randolph County	Roanoke City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 539-5265	483	28	17.5	69.2%	280 (58.0%)	182 (37.7%)	7 (1.4%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)	46	239^th of 443 public middle schools	46.0%		49.6	212^th of 439 public middle schools	51.7%	27	22.1	41.1	22.2	30.8	14.9	45.3	51.1	53.7	63.8	48.5	62.6	43.6	$8,210	$1,230	$6,981

Frequently Asked Questions about John P Powell Middle School

What district is John P Powell Middle School in?

Chambers County

What high school do graduates of John P Powell Middle School attend?

Students who attend John P Powell Middle School usually go on to attend Lafayette High School

What is the racial makeup of John P Powell Middle School?

Students at John P Powell Middle School are 73% African American, 18% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend John P Powell Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 140 students attended John P Powell Middle School.

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresNewAug 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.