Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

South Dale Middle School

Q: Is South Dale Middle School a good school?

South Dale Middle School ranks 200 th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

200^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 55% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

South Dale Middle School in Pinckard, AL, serves 412 students in grades 5 through 8 and is part of the Dale County school district, which holds a 4-star rating. The school itself carries a 3-star rating and ranks in the middle of Alabama middle schools, with about 70% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

South Dale's biggest success story is attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 20.4% in 2022-2023 to just 5.2% in 2024-2025—now better than the state average of 12% and comparable to the district's 5.7%. This is especially impressive when compared to nearby schools with similar demographics, like Dothan Preparatory Academy (23.7% chronic absenteeism) and Dothan 6th Grade Center (18.2%). In math, South Dale beats the state average at every grade level—for example, 50% of 5th graders are proficient versus 39% statewide. However, 7th-grade math remains a weak spot at just 24.55% proficiency, barely above the state average and well below the district's 37.25%. English language arts is another area of concern, with proficiency rates trailing both district and state averages in most grades.

Compared to nearby schools, South Dale sits in the middle of the pack. It outperforms lower-ranked schools like D A Smith Middle School and Daleville Middle School, but trails higher-performing schools like Dauphin Junior High School and Rehobeth Middle School, which benefit from lower poverty rates and smaller class sizes. South Dale's student-to-teacher ratio of 22.2:1 is the highest among nearby schools, and per-student spending is lower than several peers. The school's 8th-grade science proficiency (62.5%) is a bright spot, exceeding the state average. While serving special education students remains a challenge, the school's strong attendance gains and solid math performance suggest that targeted strategies are working—and could be expanded to other areas.

412

Students ?

22.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,049

Per pupil spending ?

69.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

309 Randolph Street
Pinckard, AL 36371-0218

(334) 983-3077

District: Dale County

Students who attend South Dale Middle School usually attend:

High:

Dale County High School

Feeder schools for South Dale Middle School:

Elementary:

Midland City Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.9%

African American:

33.7%

Two or more races:

7.5%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare South Dale Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg59%

Alabama avg47%

200^th of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 140Dale 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	53.6	200 of 449	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.3	188 of 439	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	157 of 442	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.0	206 of 437	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.6	194 of 432	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.9	167 of 440	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	95 of 437	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	44.7	244 of 423	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.9	179 of 432	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.2	204 of 432	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.0	155 of 430	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.6	215 of 438	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	48.2	280 of 436	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	67.4	125 of 436	71.3%	★★★★☆
2011	61.3	176 of 435	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	32.9	320 of 435	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.7	317 of 425	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	53.3	189 of 417	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.0	198 of 412	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	51.0	197 of 409	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	53.8	182 of 415	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.7	163 of 407	60.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	87 of 269	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.9	105 of 259	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	99 of 269	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.4	160 of 263	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	149 of 271	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.8	179 of 266	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	70.3	45 of 252	82.1%	★★★★☆
2018	40.2	129 of 247	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.0	93 of 205	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	209 of 427	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.3	192 of 415	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	140 of 426	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.6	177 of 417	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.7	150 of 423	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	136 of 415	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.6	121 of 399	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.3	246 of 392	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	59.2	136 of 380	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	167 of 438	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	133 of 428	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.8	94 of 437	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	58.1	140 of 410	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.4	179 of 421	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.7	161 of 415	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	75 of 396	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	54.1	179 of 396	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.0	116 of 349	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	172 of 426	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.2	182 of 422	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	171 of 428	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.5	218 of 419	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.6	233 of 427	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.1	172 of 418	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.7	67 of 399	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	49.9	199 of 397	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.7	190 of 380	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	150 of 269	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.5	152 of 271	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	212 of 281	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	199 of 281	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	184 of 256	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	52.5	94 of 274	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	26.4	179 of 223	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.3	174 of 195	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	182 of 359	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.6	159 of 377	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	136 of 373	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	149 of 370	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	144 of 376	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	109 of 369	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	64.0	91 of 343	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	34.4	221 of 331	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.0	111 of 247	55.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)68th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)60th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)44th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science62%+8 vs state

English51%-9 vs state

Mathematics38%+7 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate South Dale Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate South Dale Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near South Dale Middle School

Load more schools when map is moved

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
South Dale Middle School	Public	5-8	309 Randolph Street	Pinckard	36371	Dale County	Dale County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 983-3077	412	19	22.2	69.7%	214 (51.9%)	139 (33.7%)	21 (5.1%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (7.5%)	53.6	200^th of 449 public middle schools	55.5%		52.3	188^th of 439 public middle schools	57.2%	12		50.0	42.5	24.6	34.4		62.5		67.1	44.4	47.3	46.9	$8,049	$1,615	$6,432
Dothan 6th Grade Center	Public	6	600 Girard Ave	Dothan	36303	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1426	449	23	19.5	78.6%	77 (17.1%)	306 (68.2%)	47 (10.5%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)								(n/a)			5.9							36.2			$9,510	$1,606	$7,666
Daleville Middle School	Public	5-8	626 N Daleville Ave	Daleville	36322	Dale County	Daleville City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 598-4463	302	12	25.1	73.2%	120 (39.7%)	92 (30.5%)	67 (22.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	19 (6.3%)	27.6	329^th of 449 public middle schools	26.7%		25.5	330^th of 439 public middle schools	24.8%	1		18.7	8.3	7.7	11.3		48.8		51.3	45.0	46.2	41.3
D A Smith Middle School	Public	6-8	994 Andrews Ave	Ozark	36360	Dale County	Ozark City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 774-4913	388	27	14.3	69.6%	117 (30.2%)	213 (54.9%)	27 (7.0%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.2%)	32	307^th of 449 public middle schools	31.6%		35.1	295^th of 439 public middle schools	32.8%	12			25.0	11.7	5.3		38.9			49.0	54.2	41.9	$9,193	$1,719	$7,474
Dothan Preparatory Academy	Public	7-8	1236 South Oates Street	Dothan	36031	Macon County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1400	1,034	56	18.4	71.3%	256 (24.8%)	641 (62.0%)	96 (9.3%)	15 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.4%)	20 (1.9%)	31.3	312^th of 449 public middle schools	30.5%		27.6	320^th of 439 public middle schools	27.1%	8				10.6	10.1		43.6				45.8	48.3
Headland Middle School	Public	6-9	1 Martin Luther King Dr	Headland	36345	Henry County	Henry County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 585-7083	580	32	18.4	43.8%	432 (74.5%)	126 (21.7%)	11 (1.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	77.3	77^th of 449 public middle schools	82.9%		77.3	75^th of 439 public middle schools	82.9%	2			39.2	31.7	42.9		80.7			62.2	62.6	73.6	$7,772	$1,122	$6,634
Rehobeth Elementary School	Public	4-6	5631 County Road 203	Rehobeth	36301	Houston County	Houston County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 677-3838	590	26	22.6	53.2%	426 (72.2%)	54 (9.2%)	84 (14.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.7%)								(n/a)	66.2	66.7	56.9			57.0		68.0	81.0	65.3			$8,066	$1,318	$6,734
Rehobeth Middle School	Public	7-8	5631 County Road 203	Rehobeth	36301	Houston County	Houston County	No	No	No	No	(334) 677-5153	408	23	17.7	54.9%	278 (68.1%)	60 (14.7%)	50 (12.3%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.7%)	85.7	48^th of 449 public middle schools	89.3%		72.7	91^st of 439 public middle schools	79.3%	43				56.3	40.6		64.3				78.8	68.5	$8,639	$921	$7,706
Slocomb Middle School	Public	6-8	591 South County Road 9	Slocomb	36375	Geneva County	Geneva County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 886-2008	265	16	16.5	55.5%	211 (79.6%)	24 (9.1%)	23 (8.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.9%)	81.6	56^th of 449 public middle schools	87.5%		89.4	40^th of 439 public middle schools	90.9%	16			63.8	42.1	33.0		73.2			62.5	63.6	76.3	$7,865	$911	$6,869
Geneva County Middle School	Public	6-8	301 West Lily St	Hartford	36344	Geneva County	Geneva County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 588-2943	178	11	16.1	60.1%	132 (74.2%)	17 (9.6%)	18 (10.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.1%)	76.6	80^th of 449 public middle schools	82.2%		81.9	55^th of 439 public middle schools	87.5%	25			33.9	22.4	52.3		70.8			83.9	63.8	70.8	$8,771	$1,131	$7,585

Frequently Asked Questions about South Dale Middle School

What district is South Dale Middle School in?

Dale County

What high school do graduates of South Dale Middle School attend?

Students who attend South Dale Middle School usually go on to attend Dale County High School

Is South Dale Middle School a good school?

South Dale Middle School ranks 200^th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Dale Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended South Dale Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of South Dale Middle School?

Students at South Dale Middle School are 52% White, 34% African American, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

Rate South Dale Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ALAlabama Middle School Rankings

ALAlabama District Rankings

Schools in Pinckard, AL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Dale Middle School!

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.