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Sanford Middle School

Q: Is Sanford Middle School a good school?

Sanford Middle School ranks 258 th of 439 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

258^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 439 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 41% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Sanford Middle School is a public middle school in Opelika, Alabama, serving grades 5-8 with 545 students. The school is part of the Lee County School District, which is ranked 65 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Sanford Middle School has struggled compared to state and county averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 16.92% of 7th graders and 22.63% of 8th graders were proficient in math, and 34.53% of 8th graders were proficient in science. The school's English proficiency rates were closer to, but still lagged behind, the state and county. Sanford Middle School has also had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 14.8% to 21.7% over the past few years, which likely contributes to the academic challenges. Additionally, 73.76% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the state and county averages.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Smiths Station Junior High School, Sanford Middle School generally performs worse academically. The school's performance has also been declining over the past few years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 96 out of 440 middle schools in 2020-2021 to 258 out of 439 in 2024-2025. To improve, the school and district may need to focus on addressing the root causes of these issues, such as improving attendance, providing targeted academic interventions, and ensuring equitable access to resources and support for all students.

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 — 63rd percentile in 2015 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg44%

Alabama avg44%

258^th of 439

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Lee County

65^th of 135Lee 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	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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Multi-racial (2025)49th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)49th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile-23 vs school

Special Education (2025)17th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English52%-7 vs state

Science35%-7 vs state

Mathematics26%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sanford Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)					Summative Assessment Science (2025)		Summative Assessment English (2025)					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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	42.6	258^th of 439 public middle schools	41.2%		39.1	273^rd of 442 public middle schools	38.2%	15		37.6	26.4	16.9	22.6		34.5		58.9	47.7	47.3	52.6	$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)				49.5							77.2		$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)			57.6							77.9			$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%)	51.5	198^th of 439 public middle schools	54.9%		54.1	184^th of 442 public middle schools	58.4%	14				22.5	23.3		42.3				52.0	48.7	$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)			31.9							56.6
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%)	55.6	176^th of 439 public middle schools	59.9%		66.7	117^th of 442 public middle schools	73.5%	59				15.9	24.5		38.4				64.6	55.8	$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)	24.7	22.9	6.3			23.1		41.0	54.6	33.8			$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%)	37.2	287^th of 439 public middle schools	34.6%		35.9	291^st of 442 public middle schools	34.2%	4			25.3	20.2	13.2		25.3			49.0	55.4	39.1	$8,154	$1,369	$6,783

Frequently Asked Questions about Sanford Middle School

How many students attend Sanford Middle School?

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

Is Sanford Middle School a good school?

Sanford Middle School ranks 258^th of 439 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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.

What district is Sanford Middle School in?

Lee County

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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.