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Chelsea Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

42^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 91% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Chelsea Middle School, part of the Shelby County district, serves 831 students in grades 6-8 in Chelsea, AL, and has earned a 5-star rating every year since 2015-2016, consistently ranking in the top 10% of middle schools statewide.

This school is a standout for its exceptional science program—82.58% of 8th graders scored proficient in science, far outpacing the state average of 54.12%—and its remarkable support for special education students, who rank in the 97th percentile statewide. Math scores are also strong in 6th and 8th grades, with proficiency rates roughly double the state average. However, 7th-grade math is a notable weak spot, with only 35.21% proficient, a pattern that also appears at nearby Oak Mountain Middle School, suggesting a district-wide curriculum issue. English Language Arts performance is consistently strong across all grades, with proficiency rates between 70% and 77%. The school also boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 8.6%, better than the district (11%) and state (12%) averages, and outperforms Columbiana Middle School—just 10 miles away—by 30-40 percentage points in most subjects, despite serving a more affluent student body.

What makes Chelsea Middle School particularly impressive is its efficiency. It achieves top-tier results while spending just $7,609 per student—far less than Liberty Park Middle School ($14,344) or Mountain Brook Junior High School ($12,244)—and with a higher student-to-teacher ratio (17.8:1) than many peers. While Oak Mountain Middle School ranks slightly higher overall, Chelsea actually beats it in 8th-grade math and matches it in science. The school also shows strong outcomes for African American students (89th percentile) and economically disadvantaged students (92nd percentile), though White student performance has slipped slightly in recent years. With a decade of never ranking below the 90th percentile, Chelsea Middle School offers families a proven, high-achieving environment that delivers exceptional results without the high price tag.

831

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,609

Per pupil spending ?

29%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2321 Highway 39
Chelsea, AL 35043

(205) 682-7210

District: Shelby County

Students who attend Chelsea Middle School usually attend:

High:

Chelsea High School

Feeder schools for Chelsea Middle School:

Elementary:	Chelsea Park Elementary School
	Forest Oaks Elementary School
	Mt Laurel Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.1%

African American:

10.8%

Hispanic:

7.6%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Chelsea Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 92nd percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (64% vs 44% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Alabama middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg56%

Alabama avg44%

42^nd of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Shelby County

29^th of 140Shelby 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	88.3	42 of 449	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	88.4	43 of 439	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.9	28 of 442	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	26 of 437	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.6	27 of 432	93.8%	★★★★★
2021	83.9	43 of 440	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.0	39 of 437	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	87.1	38 of 423	91.0%	★★★★★
2017	90.2	30 of 432	93.1%	★★★★★
2016	88.5	36 of 432	91.7%	★★★★★
2015	86.1	46 of 430	89.3%	★★★★☆
2014	90.0	30 of 438	93.2%	★★★★★
2013	82.8	29 of 436	93.3%	★★★★★
2012	87.8	18 of 436	95.9%	★★★★★
2011	85.1	29 of 435	93.3%	★★★★★
2010	84.7	35 of 435	92.0%	★★★★★
2009	83.4	43 of 425	89.9%	★★★★★
2008	84.2	32 of 417	92.3%	★★★★★
2007	82.7	42 of 412	89.8%	★★★★★
2006	84.5	36 of 409	91.2%	★★★★★
2005	87.9	29 of 415	93.0%	★★★★★
2004	80.5	47 of 407	88.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	82.0	28 of 269	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	91.9	16 of 259	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	14 of 269	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	12 of 263	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	86.1	22 of 271	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	82.8	29 of 266	89.1%	★★★★☆
2019	78.9	34 of 252	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	87.5	21 of 247	91.5%	★★★★★
2017	83.9	20 of 205	90.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	88.4	35 of 427	91.8%	★★★★★
2025	85.5	39 of 415	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	26 of 426	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	33 of 417	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	27 of 423	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	79.9	46 of 415	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	31 of 399	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	85.3	40 of 392	89.8%	★★★★★
2017	87.6	29 of 380	92.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	67.0	47 of 173	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.0	25 of 164	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	31 of 166	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	32 of 157	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	60.5	50 of 154	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.2	33 of 124	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	59.9	38 of 113	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.9	30 of 108	72.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	85.9	33 of 438	92.5%	★★★★★
2025	84.3	30 of 428	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	32 of 437	92.7%	★★★★★
2023	88.1	20 of 410	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	77.3	46 of 421	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	74.0	53 of 415	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	70.2	91 of 396	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	99 of 396	75.0%	★★★★☆
2017	62.2	95 of 349	72.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	85.4	46 of 426	89.2%	★★★★☆
2025	88.0	43 of 422	89.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	28 of 428	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	24 of 419	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	31 of 427	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	84.4	38 of 418	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	85.5	36 of 399	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.1	33 of 397	91.7%	★★★★★
2017	89.7	25 of 380	93.4%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	32 of 37	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.5	24 of 43	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	77.3	8 of 32	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	54.6	11 of 26	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.2	8 of 26	69.2%	★★★★☆
2021	45.1	14 of 29	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.0	11 of 19	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	11 of 18	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	78.0	28 of 146	80.8%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	80.5	12 of 66	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	58.7	18 of 56	67.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	91.1	9 of 269	96.7%	★★★★★
2025	77.8	29 of 271	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.8	23 of 281	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	85.9	15 of 281	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	71.1	35 of 256	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	75.5	23 of 274	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	65.9	48 of 254	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	46.1	111 of 223	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.6	67 of 195	65.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	81.3	48 of 359	86.6%	★★★★☆
2025	80.4	59 of 377	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	88.5	30 of 373	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	33 of 370	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	85.3	36 of 376	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	74.8	60 of 369	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	46 of 343	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	55 of 331	83.4%	★★★★☆
2017	79.3	35 of 247	85.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)97th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

African American (2026)90th percentile~ school

Male (2026)89th percentile~ school

White (2026)87th percentile-4 vs school

Native American (2025)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)81st percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile-17 vs school

Military Connected (2026)14th percentile-77 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science83%+28 vs state

English75%+18 vs state

Mathematics47%+18 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, December 24, 2017

Bullying was very frequent. Very poor place for developmental and academic processes Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Not a bad school at all if your child is average. If he or she needs help, though, too bad. Learning challenges? Need learning support? Gifted? ADHD? Tough cookies. The administration doesn't care if your child falls through the cracks. Close Quote

Schools Near Chelsea 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
Chelsea Middle School	Public	6-8	2321 Highway 39	Chelsea	35043	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-7210	831	47	17.8	29.0%	632 (76.1%)	90 (10.8%)	63 (7.6%)	14 (1.7%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.0%)	88.3	42^nd of 449 public middle schools	90.6%		88.4	43^rd of 439 public middle schools	90.2%	1	53.6	35.2	52.5	82.6	77.2	69.8	77.5	$7,609	$560	$7,031
Oak Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	5650 Cahaba Valley Rd	Birmingham	35242	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5210	1,168	63	18.5	25.5%	853 (73.0%)	140 (12.0%)	96 (8.2%)	53 (4.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.1%)	92.4	29^th of 449 public middle schools	93.5%		91.1	33^rd of 439 public middle schools	92.5%	4	60.6	43.8	47.7	82.6	78.4	78.5	81.8	$8,399	$658	$7,724
Berry Middle School	Public	6-12	4500 Jaguar Dr	Hoover	35242	Shelby County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-2000	1,058	73	14.5	30.1%	611 (57.8%)	208 (19.7%)	96 (9.1%)	90 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (4.9%)	96	13^th of 449 public middle schools	97.1%		95.7	15^th of 439 public middle schools	96.6%	2	64.4	57.9	58.2	85.3	83.6	83.1	85.7	$10,356	$823	$9,533
STAR Program Middle	Public	6-8	2280 Highway 35	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(205) 682-5800																			(n/a)
Pelham Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2016 Pelham Park Boulevard	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Pelham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 624-3702	835	45	18.5	46.1%	359 (43.0%)	161 (19.3%)	240 (28.7%)	26 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.6%)	56.5	181^st of 449 public middle schools	59.7%		59.7	153^rd of 439 public middle schools	65.1%	28	30.3	20.9	14.6	58.5	62.1	63.3	61.1
Liberty Park Middle School	Public	6-8	17035 Liberty Pkwy	Vestavia	35242	Shelby County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5450	514	42	12.3	9.7%	408 (79.4%)	19 (3.7%)	23 (4.5%)	37 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	96.6	8^th of 449 public middle schools	98.2%		97.4	7^th of 439 public middle schools	98.4%	1	76.9	51.7	61.8	92.4	78.3	82.4	93.0	$14,344	$07	$14,335
Columbiana Middle School	Public	6-8	222 Joinertown Road	Columbiana	35051	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-6610	428	29	14.6	62.9%	322 (75.2%)	34 (7.9%)	57 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.0%)	51	214^th of 449 public middle schools	52.3%		51.1	203^rd of 439 public middle schools	53.8%	11	18.2	24.4	27.9	55.0	50.3	54.5	59.0	$10,167	$908	$9,238
Pizitz Middle School	Public	6-8	2826 Columbiana Road	Vestavia	35216	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5350	1,131	75	15.0	10.2%	934 (82.6%)	50 (4.4%)	36 (3.2%)	94 (8.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.4%)	98.7	2^nd of 449 public middle schools	99.6%		98.8	3^rd of 439 public middle schools	99.3%	1	81.8	64.9	77.1	94.1	88.4	92.0	93.8	$10,929	$585	$10,343
Ira F Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	1575 Patton Chapel Road	Hoover	35226	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 439-2100	860	62	13.8	44.3%	448 (52.1%)	226 (26.3%)	120 (14.0%)	29 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (4.1%)	90.1	38^th of 449 public middle schools	91.5%		90.1	38^th of 439 public middle schools	91.3%		57.2	47.4	53.6	71.8	74.6	72.9	80.4	$12,051	$881	$11,168
Robert F Bumpus Middle School	Public	6-8	6055 Flemming Parkway	Hoover	35244	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-2200	1,192	78	15.3	22.6%	612 (51.3%)	317 (26.6%)	71 (6.0%)	123 (10.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (5.5%)	94.3	20^th of 449 public middle schools	95.5%		95.9	12^th of 439 public middle schools	97.3%	8	60.0	53.5	47.9	81.6	81.3	85.5	85.3	$11,153	$612	$10,539

Frequently Asked Questions about Chelsea Middle School

How many students attend Chelsea Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 831 students attended Chelsea Middle School.

What district is Chelsea Middle School in?

Shelby County

What high school do graduates of Chelsea Middle School attend?

Students who attend Chelsea Middle School usually go on to attend Chelsea High School

What is the racial makeup of Chelsea Middle School?

Students at Chelsea Middle School are 76% White, 11% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Chelsea Middle School a good school?

Yes. Chelsea Middle School ranks in the top 9.4% of Alabama middle schools.

Rate Chelsea 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.