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NicholsLawson Middle School

Q: Is NicholsLawson Middle School a good school?

NicholsLawson Middle School ranks 202 nd of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

202^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 55% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

NicholsLawson Middle School in Sylacauga, AL, serves 446 students in grades 6-8 within the Sylacauga City district, a school that has maintained a steady 3-star rating over the past decade while showing a gradual slip in its statewide ranking from the 70th to the 55th percentile.

If your child is heading into middle school, you'll want to know about the school's standout strength in 8th-grade science—where 57.93% of students are proficient, beating the state average by nearly 4 points for the third year running. That's a real bright spot. However, math is a persistent challenge across all grade levels, and the gap widens as students move up: 6th graders are about 3.5 points below the state average, but by 8th grade that gap stretches to nearly 9 points. This "science vs. math" split suggests the issue isn't a lack of rigor overall, but rather something specific to how math is taught or supported. On a more encouraging note, the school has made dramatic progress on chronic absenteeism—cutting it from a troubling 25.1% in 2022-2023 down to 11.2%, which is now actually better than the state average of 12.0%.

Compared to nearby Childersburg Middle School (about 8 miles away), NicholsLawson holds a clear edge in 8th-grade science (57.93% vs. 50%) and overall state ranking, though Childersburg has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (8.1% vs. 11.2%). When looking at Evelyn D Houston Elementary School, NicholsLawson's 6th graders vastly outperform in both math (31.69% vs. 10.47%) and English (55.32% vs. 36.14%). The school spends more per student ($9,574) than either nearby school and maintains a favorable 15.3 student-teacher ratio, yet math outcomes remain stubbornly below state benchmarks—a signal that resources may need to be redirected toward math intervention and support for the school's most vulnerable learners.

446

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,574

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1550 Talladega Highway
Sylacauga, AL 35150

(256) 245-4376

District: Sylacauga City

Students who attend NicholsLawson Middle School usually attend:

High:

Sylacauga High School

Feeder schools for NicholsLawson Middle School:

Elementary:	Indian Valley Elementary School
	Pinecrest Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.2%

African American:

40.6%

Hispanic:

5.8%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare NicholsLawson Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 65th percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg43%

Alabama avg44%

202^nd of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

71^st of 140Sylacauga 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	53.0	202 of 449	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	205 of 439	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	171 of 442	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	162 of 437	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	139 of 432	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	131 of 440	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	56.8	176 of 437	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.5	206 of 423	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.0	172 of 432	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.0	151 of 432	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.5	165 of 430	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.9	143 of 438	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.2	144 of 436	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.3	173 of 436	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.1	153 of 435	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.6	147 of 435	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	74.2	76 of 425	82.1%	★★★★☆
2008	67.4	111 of 417	73.4%	★★★★☆
2007	70.9	98 of 412	76.2%	★★★★☆
2006	59.7	150 of 409	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.7	169 of 415	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	47.0	212 of 407	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	116 of 269	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	109 of 259	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	112 of 269	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.4	137 of 263	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.2	93 of 271	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.3	113 of 266	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.6	141 of 252	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	131 of 247	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.4	137 of 205	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.5	175 of 427	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.6	163 of 415	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	128 of 426	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	125 of 417	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	126 of 423	70.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.0	115 of 415	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	56.1	162 of 399	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	196 of 392	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.1	141 of 380	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	224 of 438	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.0	234 of 428	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	210 of 437	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.0	249 of 410	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.1	166 of 421	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	194 of 415	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.5	240 of 396	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.5	280 of 396	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.5	235 of 349	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	203 of 426	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.0	230 of 422	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.4	204 of 428	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	205 of 419	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	164 of 427	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	144 of 418	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.7	169 of 399	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	197 of 397	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.4	180 of 380	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	81 of 146	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.8	49 of 92	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	164 of 269	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.7	179 of 271	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.3	198 of 281	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	166 of 281	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	166 of 256	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.3	83 of 274	69.7%	★★★★☆
2019	38.0	158 of 254	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	181 of 223	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	36.9	120 of 195	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	104 of 359	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	58.4	125 of 377	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	91 of 373	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	73 of 370	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	73 of 376	80.6%	★★★★☆
2021	77.0	55 of 369	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	71.3	68 of 343	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	56.8	114 of 331	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.7	81 of 247	67.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)71st percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)59th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)57th percentile~ school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)45th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English59%~ state avg

Science58%+4 vs state

Mathematics22%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near NicholsLawson 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 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
NicholsLawson Middle School	Public	6-8	1550 Talladega Highway	Sylacauga	35150	Talladega County	Sylacauga City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 245-4376	446	29	15.3	60.1%	215 (48.2%)	181 (40.6%)	26 (5.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	53	202^nd of 449 public middle schools	55.0%		50.7	205^th of 439 public middle schools	53.3%	3			31.7	17.3	17.8		57.9			55.3	52.0	68.5	$9,574	$1,586	$7,965
Childersburg Middle School	Public	6-8	800 4th St SE	Childersburg	35044	Talladega County	Talladega County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 315-5505	245	15	16.6	74.3%	92 (37.6%)	138 (56.3%)	8 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	39.6	274^th of 449 public middle schools	39.0%		47	229^th of 439 public middle schools	47.8%	45			18.6	16.7	10.2		50.0			61.5	50.8	45.4	$7,094	$668	$6,396
Evelyn D Houston Elementary School	Public	4-6	1310 Ashland Hwy	Talladega	35160	Talladega County	Talladega City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 315-5808	302	18	16.7	84.4%	55 (18.2%)	212 (70.2%)	20 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)								(n/a)	19.8	20.0	10.5			19.0		29.3	44.7	36.1			$8,799	$1,620	$7,175

Frequently Asked Questions about NicholsLawson Middle School

How many students attend NicholsLawson Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 446 students attended NicholsLawson Middle School.

What high school do graduates of NicholsLawson Middle School attend?

Students who attend NicholsLawson Middle School usually go on to attend Sylacauga High School

Is NicholsLawson Middle School a good school?

NicholsLawson Middle School ranks 202^nd of 449 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of NicholsLawson Middle School?

Students at NicholsLawson Middle School are 48% White, 41% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What district is NicholsLawson Middle School in?

Sylacauga City

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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.