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Whitesburg Middle School

Q: Is Whitesburg Middle School a good school?

Whitesburg Middle School ranks in the bottom 17.2% of Alabama middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Whitesburg Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Whitesburg Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Whitesburg Middle School?

Students at Whitesburg Middle School are 36% Hispanic, 32% African American, 25% White, 6% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Whitesburg Middle School attend?

Students who attend Whitesburg Middle School usually go on to attend Virgil Grissom High School

Public Grades 6-8

367^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 443 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 17% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Whitesburg Middle School in Huntsville, AL, serves 535 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Huntsville City district. The school has seen a significant decline in its state ranking over the past decade, falling from the 51st percentile in 2015-2016 to the 17th percentile in 2025-2026, placing it in the bottom quintile of Alabama middle schools.

The most pressing concern at Whitesburg is mathematics proficiency, which is critically low across all grade levels. In 2025-2026, only about 9-11% of students in each grade met state math standards, compared to state averages of 24-35%. This represents a gap of 15-24 percentage points and has shown a generally declining trend. English Language Arts performance is stronger, with 32-40% proficiency, though still below state averages. The school's Special Education students are a notable bright spot, ranking in the 57th percentile statewide, suggesting that targeted support structures exist that could potentially be expanded. However, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are severely underserved, ranking in the 7th percentile, and this trend has been worsening over the past three years.

The contrast with nearby schools is stark. Within a five-mile radius, Hampton Cove Middle School ranks 7th in the state (98th percentile), Mountain Gap Middle School ranks 33rd (93rd percentile), and Challenger Middle School ranks 53rd (88th percentile). Whitesburg's 367th ranking places it in a completely different performance tier despite geographic proximity. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 10.4% is actually better than several higher-performing nearby schools, suggesting attendance is not the primary driver of academic underperformance. With an increasing percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch (rising from ~48% to ~58% in one year), the school faces growing challenges that require urgent attention and targeted intervention, particularly in mathematics instruction.

535

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,356

Per pupil spending ?

57.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

107 Sanders Rd
Huntsville, AL 35802

(256) 428-7780

District: Huntsville City

Students who attend Whitesburg Middle School usually attend:

High:

Virgil Grissom High School

Feeder schools for Whitesburg Middle School:

Elementary:	McDonnell Elementary School
	Roger B Chaffee Elementary School
	Whitesburg Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.9%

African American:

31.8%

White:

24.9%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Whitesburg Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (25% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg44%

Alabama avg44%

367^th of 443

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 34 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Middle Schools in the Huntsville City

77^th of 139Huntsville 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2019	61.8	248 of 681	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	295 of 680	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.5	421 of 688	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	54.4	307 of 691	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.6	141 of 691	79.6%	★★★★☆
2014	68.9	180 of 695	74.1%	★★★★☆
2013	50.2	438 of 696	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	367 of 443	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	341 of 439	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	314 of 442	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	301 of 437	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	276 of 432	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	229 of 440	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	269 of 437	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	250 of 423	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.8	293 of 432	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.6	213 of 432	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	78.3	61 of 430	85.8%	★★★★☆
2014	77.6	62 of 438	85.8%	★★★★☆
2013	58.2	199 of 436	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.2	140 of 436	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.8	170 of 435	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	63.6	151 of 435	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	82.1	44 of 425	89.6%	★★★★☆
2008	79.3	48 of 417	88.5%	★★★★☆
2007	84.9	35 of 412	91.5%	★★★★★
2006	91.7	17 of 409	95.8%	★★★★★
2005	90.6	18 of 415	95.7%	★★★★★
2004	79.2	57 of 407	86.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	214 of 266	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	191 of 259	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	184 of 269	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	163 of 263	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	163 of 271	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.8	117 of 266	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.4	208 of 252	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	162 of 247	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.8	170 of 205	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	95 of 103	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	103 of 117	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	93 of 106	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	79 of 94	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	72 of 81	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.7	55 of 70	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.4	12 of 31	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.7	16 of 25	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.8	9 of 13	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	360 of 422	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.6	326 of 415	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	288 of 426	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	285 of 417	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	286 of 423	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	217 of 415	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	250 of 399	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.2	258 of 392	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.8	303 of 380	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	72 of 82	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	169 of 173	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	141 of 164	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	140 of 166	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	127 of 157	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.9	101 of 154	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.9	99 of 124	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	101 of 113	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.9	98 of 108	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	402 of 432	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.1	362 of 428	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	353 of 437	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	353 of 410	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	344 of 421	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.7	302 of 415	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	310 of 396	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	302 of 396	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	51.0	159 of 349	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	334 of 421	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.5	341 of 422	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	308 of 428	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.2	296 of 419	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	250 of 427	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	229 of 418	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	250 of 399	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.9	211 of 397	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.7	201 of 380	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	6.9	145 of 145	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	84 of 92	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	57 of 78	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	68 of 72	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	41 of 61	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.9	38 of 46	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	21 of 30	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	14.6	21 of 21	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	27.2	52 of 65	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	114 of 266	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.9	95 of 271	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	62 of 281	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	53.6	97 of 281	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.4	38 of 256	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	35.2	188 of 274	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.4	112 of 254	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.9	71 of 223	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.6	33 of 195	83.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	186 of 355	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.7	307 of 377	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	281 of 373	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	281 of 370	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	241 of 376	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	206 of 369	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	215 of 343	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.6	66 of 331	80.1%	★★★★☆
2017	50.5	91 of 247	63.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Special Education (2026)57th percentile+40 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile+4 vs school

Native American (2022)20th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2026)20th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)12th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)8th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)<1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English35%-21 vs state

Science34%-20 vs state

Mathematics10%-18 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★3

4★0

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What people are saying

by a principal
Friday, March 8, 2024

Whitesburg Middle School is on the right track to accomplish great things. We are getting a handle on attendance, increasing our proficiency and growth on all platforms, and working to foster a positive atmosphere for all students. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, September 17, 2018

Caring administration and staff. Great kids who want to learn. Close Quote

Schools Near Whitesburg 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 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th 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
Whitesburg Middle School	Public	6-8	107 Sanders Rd	Huntsville	35802	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7780	535	29	18.4	57.9%	133 (24.9%)	170 (31.8%)	192 (35.9%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (6.0%)	18.7	367^th of 443 public middle schools	17.2%		22.7	341^st of 439 public middle schools	22.3%	26	10.9	9.3	11.2	33.9	34.1	32.0	40.2	$8,356	$1,156	$7,199
Huntsville Junior High School	Public	7-8	817 Adams St SE	Huntsville	35801	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7700	530	26	20.7	50.0%	224 (42.3%)	207 (39.1%)	60 (11.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (6.8%)	49.6	222^nd of 443 public middle schools	49.9%		45.7	238^th of 439 public middle schools	45.8%	16		21.5	31.8	43.5		49.7	53.9	$8,048	$1,306	$6,741
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 443 public middle schools	92.6%		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
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%)	82.8	53^rd of 443 public middle schools	88.0%		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
Morris Middle School	Public	6-8	4801 Bob Wallace Avenue	Huntsville	35805	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7340	397	25	15.8	74.1%	40 (10.1%)	134 (33.8%)	202 (50.9%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	15 (3.8%)	21.6	351^st of 443 public middle schools	20.8%		20.9	351^st of 439 public middle schools	20.0%		12.2	10.8	5.6	38.7	28.7	42.4	44.3
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%)	97.6	7^th of 443 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
Chapman Middle School	Public	6-8	2006 Reuben Dr NE	Huntsville	35811	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7640	315	21	15.0	77.5%	33 (10.5%)	207 (65.7%)	56 (17.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (5.1%)	14.5	388^th of 443 public middle schools	12.4%		11.8	404^th of 439 public middle schools	8.0%	16	5.4	8.9	4.2	33.3	25.8	31.3	38.5
Academy For Science Foreign Language Middle School	Public	6-8	3221 Mastin Lake Road	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7000	194	13	14.9	47.9%	36 (18.6%)	109 (56.2%)	19 (9.8%)	4 (2.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (12.9%)	81.4	58^th of 443 public middle schools	86.9%		79.9	65^th of 439 public middle schools	85.2%	7	26.6	37.5	37.7	85.3	70.9	76.6	92.1
Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School	Public	6-8	4800 Sparkman Drive NE	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7600	270	20	13.8	43.7%	69 (25.6%)	145 (53.7%)	21 (7.8%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	29 (10.7%)	56.9	173^rd of 443 public middle schools	60.9%		63.5	131^st of 439 public middle schools	70.2%	42	26.9	16.5	22.2	44.9	64.8	71.1	67.7
Ronald McNair 78	Public	7-8	5000 Pulaski Pike	Huntsville	35810	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 428-7660	390	20	19.5	77.4%	15 (3.8%)	260 (66.7%)	97 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.8%)	11.8	406^th of 443 public middle schools	8.4%		13.3	395^th of 439 public middle schools	10.0%	11		3.1	4.0	21.2		30.4	35.5	$8,772	$1,662	$7,108

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitesburg Middle School

How many students attend Whitesburg Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Whitesburg Middle School.

What district is Whitesburg Middle School in?

Huntsville City

Is Whitesburg Middle School a good school?

Whitesburg Middle School ranks in the bottom 17.2% of Alabama middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Whitesburg Middle School?

Students at Whitesburg Middle School are 36% Hispanic, 32% African American, 25% White, 6% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Whitesburg Middle School attend?

Students who attend Whitesburg Middle School usually go on to attend Virgil Grissom High School

Rate Whitesburg 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.