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Sanford Middle School

Q: Is Sanford Middle School a good school?

Sanford Middle School ranks 261 st of 443 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

261^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 443 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 41% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Sanford Middle School in Opelika, AL, serves 533 students in grades 5 through 8 and is part of the Lee County school district, which holds a 3-star rating statewide.

One of the most important things to know about Sanford Middle is that its overall state ranking has declined significantly over the past five years, dropping from the 96th position in 2020-2021 to 261st in 2025-2026. The most striking issue is a severe drop in 7th grade math proficiency—only 6.15% of 7th graders are proficient, compared to 44.8% of 6th graders. This is far below the district average of 15.32% for 7th grade math and represents a sharp decline from the previous year. English Language Arts shows a similar pattern, with 6th graders performing above the state average (58.7% vs. 56.8%) but 7th graders falling well below it (42.5% vs. 55.3%). This suggests a systemic challenge with the 7th grade cohort or instructional approach that warrants attention. On a positive note, the school has made remarkable progress in reducing chronic absenteeism from 22.1% to 12.3%, now matching state averages. The school also shows notable success with African American students (63rd percentile) and Special Education students (51st percentile), both of which have improved dramatically in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, Sanford Middle's 6th grade math performance (44.8%) exceeds that of Russell County Middle School (16.7%) and Tuskegee Public Elementary (10.9%), but its 7th and 8th grade scores trail most comparable schools. The contrast with Auburn City schools like Drake Middle School and East Samford School is stark—those schools maintain 5-star ratings with math proficiency rates of 49-60% across all grades. Sanford Middle spends more per student ($9,340) than any school in the comparison set, yet outcomes remain below average, suggesting potential inefficiencies in resource allocation. With 60.4% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school faces moderate economic challenges, though this percentage has declined from 73.8% in recent years.

533

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,340

Per pupil spending ?

60.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Lee Road 11
Opelika, AL 36804-8907

(334) 705-6040

District: Lee County

Feeder schools for Sanford Middle School:

Elementary:	Beauregard Elementary School
	Beulah Elementary School
	Loachapoka Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.5%

African American:

20.5%

Hispanic:

10.5%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Sanford Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (38% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg41%

Alabama avg44%

261^st of 443

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Lee County

68^th of 139Lee 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	41.6	261 of 443	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.6	258 of 439	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	273 of 442	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.6	237 of 437	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.8	192 of 432	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.7	96 of 440	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	127 of 437	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	150 of 423	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.7	203 of 432	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.2	186 of 432	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.0	157 of 430	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.3	235 of 438	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.0	313 of 436	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	50.4	250 of 436	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.6	203 of 435	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.8	240 of 435	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.5	223 of 425	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.8	293 of 417	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	29.5	312 of 412	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.9	296 of 409	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	30.0	314 of 415	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	31.5	303 of 407	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	49.6	99 of 266	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.5	133 of 259	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	168 of 269	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	101 of 263	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.5	101 of 271	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.4	62 of 266	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.9	77 of 252	69.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	66 of 247	73.3%	★★★★☆
2017	47.6	87 of 205	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	288 of 422	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	240 of 415	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	287 of 426	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	259 of 417	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.0	240 of 423	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.3	106 of 415	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	61.2	128 of 399	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.5	151 of 392	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.2	200 of 380	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	41.5	46 of 82	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.2	141 of 173	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	127 of 164	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	76.2	23 of 157	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	78.7	16 of 154	89.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	233 of 432	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.2	271 of 428	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	304 of 437	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.9	239 of 410	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.0	167 of 421	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.9	37 of 415	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	63.9	120 of 396	69.7%	★★★★☆
2018	63.8	131 of 396	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.0	164 of 349	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	212 of 421	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	243 of 422	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	231 of 428	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	199 of 419	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.5	147 of 427	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.6	89 of 418	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.8	111 of 399	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	59.6	150 of 397	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.9	177 of 380	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	131 of 145	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.4	47 of 92	48.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.4	43 of 78	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	47 of 72	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.4	42 of 60	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.2	23 of 61	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	130 of 266	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.9	225 of 271	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	240 of 281	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	219 of 281	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	200 of 256	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.8	114 of 274	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	124 of 254	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.8	98 of 223	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.1	77 of 195	60.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	252 of 355	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.7	245 of 377	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	273 of 373	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	235 of 370	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	185 of 376	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	111 of 369	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.8	109 of 343	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	169 of 331	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.3	153 of 247	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)63rd percentile+22 vs school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)29th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)10th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English51%-6 vs state

Science46%-8 vs state

Mathematics21%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sanford 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
Sanford Middle School	Public	5-8	1500 Lee Road 11	Opelika	36804	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 705-6040	533	34	15.5	60.4%	317 (59.5%)	109 (20.5%)	56 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.6%)	41.6	261^st of 443 public middle schools	41.1%		42.6	258^th of 439 public middle schools	41.2%	3			44.8	6.2	12.8		45.7			58.7	42.5	52.8	$9,340	$1,200	$8,124
East Samford School	Public	6-7	332 E Samford Avenue	Auburn	36830	Lee County	Auburn City	No	No	No	No	(334) 887-1960	733	42	17.4	30.7%	362 (49.4%)	152 (20.7%)	78 (10.6%)	107 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (4.5%)								(n/a)				49.1							74.3		$9,302	$588	$8,698
Drake Middle School	Public	6	655 N Donahue Dr	Auburn	36832	Lee County	Auburn City	No	No	No	No	(334) 887-1940	720	39	18.4	29.6%	375 (52.1%)	137 (19.0%)	59 (8.2%)	114 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.9%)								(n/a)			59.7							75.0			$8,511	$771	$7,724
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
Smiths Station Junior High School	Public	7-8	1100 Mullin Road	Smiths Station	36877	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	No	(334) 664-4070	910	54	16.8	43.7%	598 (65.7%)	166 (18.2%)	81 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (6.8%)	56.2	182^nd of 443 public middle schools	58.9%		55.6	176^th of 439 public middle schools	59.9%	6			45.7	17.4	20.2		52.5			60.3	60.4	55.6	$8,582	$830	$7,735
Tuskegee Public Elementary	Public	4-8	101 E Price St	Tuskegee	36083	Macon County	Macon County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 727-3222	261	13	20.0	86.2%	4 (1.5%)	240 (92.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.7%)								(n/a)	19.5	31.7	10.9			26.0		41.6	50.0	35.2			$9,782	$2,252	$7,424
Russell County Middle School	Public	6-8	80 Warrior Way	Seale	36875	Russell County	Russell County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 468-5604	810	43	18.8	50.2%	340 (42.0%)	322 (39.8%)	81 (10.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	60 (7.4%)	35.3	290^th of 443 public middle schools	34.5%		37.2	287^th of 439 public middle schools	34.6%	3			16.7	14.5	17.4		50.6			42.4	44.8	52.1	$8,154	$1,369	$6,783

Frequently Asked Questions about Sanford Middle School

What district is Sanford Middle School in?

Lee County

What is the racial makeup of Sanford Middle School?

Students at Sanford Middle School are 59% White, 20% African American, 11% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

Is Sanford Middle School a good school?

Sanford Middle School ranks 261^st of 443 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sanford Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 533 students attended Sanford Middle School.

Rate Sanford Middle School!

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ALAlabama Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Opelika, AL

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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.