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Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School

Q: Is Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School a good school?

Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School ranks 175 th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

175^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 61% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School is a small magnet school in Huntsville, AL, serving 270 students in grades 6-8 within the Huntsville City district. This school stands out for its exceptional English Language Arts (ELA) program, with proficiency rates consistently 10-20 percentage points above state averages across all grade levels—for example, 7th grade ELA hit 71% proficiency compared to the state's 55%. The school also boasts remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 5.1%, far below the state average of 12%, and maintains a favorable 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio that supports personalized attention.

While literacy is a clear strength, mathematics is the school's biggest challenge. Math proficiency trails state averages in every grade, with 7th grade math at just 16.5% proficiency compared to the state's 24.5%. This creates an interesting contrast with Academy For Science Foreign Language Middle School, a sister magnet school just 1.7 miles away that outperforms Academics and Arts across every subject—including a dramatic gap in 8th grade science (44.9% vs. 85.3%) and 8th grade ELA (67.7% vs. 92.1%). Still, when compared to traditional district schools like Whitesburg Middle School or Chapman Middle School, the Academy outperforms them by wide margins, often doubling or tripling their ELA proficiency rates.

The school has experienced a significant demographic shift, with free/reduced lunch eligibility jumping from 18.8% to 43.7% over two years, which may explain its recent ranking decline from the 76th to 61st percentile statewide. Despite this, the school maintains strong outcomes for its students, with African American students ranking in the 76th percentile statewide and White students in the 82nd percentile. While it doesn't reach the heights of Madison City schools like Journey Middle School or Liberty Middle School, which rank in the top 10% statewide, Academy for Academics and Arts offers a strong, engaging environment with excellent attendance and literacy outcomes—making it a solid choice for families seeking a rigorous academic option within Huntsville City Schools.

270

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

43.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4800 Sparkman Drive NE
Huntsville, AL 35810

(256) 428-7600

District: Huntsville City

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.7%

White:

25.6%

Two or more races:

10.7%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 72nd percentile in 2021 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2021

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg44%

Alabama avg44%

175^th of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 11 pts since 2021

From top 28% (2021) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

78^th of 140Huntsville 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	57.0	175 of 449	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.5	131 of 439	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	61.6	146 of 442	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.9	103 of 437	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.3	107 of 432	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.3	121 of 440	72.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	63 of 269	76.6%	★★★★☆
2025	63.3	61 of 259	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	53 of 269	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	37 of 263	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	50 of 271	81.5%	★★★★☆
2021	63.3	66 of 266	75.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	182 of 427	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	115 of 415	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	145 of 426	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.1	97 of 417	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	64.5	123 of 423	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	52.3	186 of 415	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	184 of 438	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.0	210 of 428	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.3	193 of 437	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.8	96 of 410	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	118 of 421	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	39.3	255 of 415	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	177 of 426	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.6	210 of 422	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	153 of 428	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.5	120 of 419	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	112 of 427	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	76.1	63 of 418	84.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	75 of 146	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.0	30 of 92	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	51.3	100 of 269	62.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	73.9	65 of 359	81.9%	★★★★☆
2025	83.0	50 of 377	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	55 of 373	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	83.8	44 of 370	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.8	45 of 376	88.0%	★★★★☆
2021	85.8	33 of 369	91.1%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)82nd percentile+21 vs school

African American (2026)77th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)58th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)57th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)49th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English68%+11 vs state

Science45%-9 vs state

Mathematics22%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Academy for Academics and Arts 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
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%)	57	175^th of 449 public middle schools	61.0%		63.5	131^st of 439 public middle schools	70.2%	44	26.9	16.5	22.2	44.9	64.8	71.1	67.7
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%)	81.5	58^th of 449 public middle schools	87.1%		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
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	412^th of 449 public middle schools	8.2%		13.3	395^th of 439 public middle schools	10.0%	17		3.1	4.0	21.2		30.4	35.5	$8,772	$1,662	$7,108
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	357^th of 449 public middle schools	20.5%		20.9	351^st of 439 public middle schools	20.0%	6	12.2	10.8	5.6	38.7	28.7	42.4	44.3
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%)	49.7	224^th of 449 public middle schools	50.1%		45.7	238^th of 439 public middle schools	45.8%	14		21.5	31.8	43.5		49.7	53.9	$8,048	$1,306	$6,741
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	394^th of 449 public middle schools	12.2%		11.8	404^th of 439 public middle schools	8.0%	10	5.4	8.9	4.2	33.3	25.8	31.3	38.5
Monrovia Middle School	Public	6-8	1216 Jeff Rd	Huntsville	35806	Madison County	Madison County	No	No	No	No	(256) 851-4580	988	47	21.0	31.8%	473 (47.9%)	302 (30.6%)	93 (9.4%)	20 (2.0%)	30 (3.0%)	6 (0.6%)	64 (6.5%)	70.7	102^nd of 449 public middle schools	77.3%		75.8	81^st of 439 public middle schools	81.5%	21	39.0	23.0	30.9	63.6	68.5	64.4	71.9	$8,013	$687	$7,287
Discovery Middle School	Public	6-8	1304 Hughes Rd	Madison	35758	Madison County	Madison City	No	No	No	No	(256) 837-3735	1,054	68	15.6	26.4%	619 (58.7%)	175 (16.6%)	96 (9.1%)	71 (6.7%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	89 (8.4%)	91.6	32^nd of 449 public middle schools	92.9%		90.5	35^th of 439 public middle schools	92.0%	3	60.2	53.1	58.8	67.6	76.5	78.6	81.5	$8,621	$642	$7,950
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%)	18.6	373^rd of 449 public middle schools	16.9%		22.7	341^st of 439 public middle schools	22.3%	32	10.9	9.3	11.2	33.9	34.1	32.0	40.2	$8,356	$1,156	$7,199
Journey Middle School	Public	6-8	217 Celtic Drive	Madison	35758	Madison County	Madison City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 464-8370	903	48	19.0	26.7%	424 (47.0%)	206 (22.8%)	90 (10.0%)	91 (10.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	87 (9.6%)	90.4	36^th of 449 public middle schools	92.0%		86.8	46^th of 439 public middle schools	89.5%	10	62.7	46.2	43.3	68.4	82.6	75.8	80.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School?

Students at Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School are 54% African American, 26% White, 11% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School.

What district is Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School in?

Huntsville City

Is Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School a good school?

Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School ranks 175^th of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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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.