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Westlawn Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

399^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 449 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 11% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Westlawn Middle School in Tuscaloosa, AL, serves 568 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Tuscaloosa City district, where nearly 88% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Westlawn currently ranks in the bottom 11% of Alabama middle schools, with a 1-star rating, though this is an improvement from a 0-star rating just a few years ago. Math proficiency is a significant concern—only about 16% of 6th graders, 4% of 7th graders, and 10% of 8th graders are proficient, compared to 50-80% at nearby Northridge Middle School and Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle. English scores are somewhat stronger, with 8th grade proficiency at 35%. The school spends $13,988 per student—more than any comparable school in the area, including Eastwood Middle School ($10,557) and Sipsey Valley Middle School ($10,233)—yet outcomes remain low, raising questions about how funds are being used.

There are encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 22.2% to 7.4% in just two years—now better than several higher-performing schools like Northridge (11.4%) and Sipsey Valley (14.7%). The school has also shown strength in serving English Language Learners, historically ranking in the 75th percentile. However, support for Special Education students has declined significantly, and performance for low-income students remains in the bottom 13% statewide. While Westlawn still faces major academic hurdles, the improved attendance and modest gains in 6th grade math and 8th grade English suggest the school is building a foundation for future progress.

568

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,988

Per pupil spending ?

87.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1715 Martin L King Jr Blvd
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401-5298

(205) 759-3673

District: Tuscaloosa City

Students who attend Westlawn Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Westlawn Middle School:

Elementary:	Central Elementary School
	Martin L King Junior Elementary School
	Oakdale Elementary School
	University Place Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.9%

Hispanic:

10.7%

White:

1.2%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Westlawn Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (21% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!English scores 28 pts below the Alabama average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg41%

Alabama avg44%

399^th of 449

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Tuscaloosa City

75^th of 140Tuscaloosa 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	14.1	399 of 449	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	382 of 439	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	391 of 442	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	421 of 437	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.2	416 of 432	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	408 of 440	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	420 of 437	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	408 of 423	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.4	398 of 432	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.5	398 of 432	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.2	367 of 430	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.6	362 of 438	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.7	364 of 436	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.4	377 of 436	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.3	387 of 435	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	5.0	424 of 435	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.1	394 of 425	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.8	406 of 417	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.7	405 of 412	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.5	384 of 409	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	15.6	375 of 415	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	16.5	364 of 407	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	196 of 269	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	189 of 259	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	201 of 269	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	243 of 263	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	242 of 271	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	225 of 266	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	222 of 252	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	222 of 247	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	69 of 103	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.8	50 of 117	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	27 of 106	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	35.1	62 of 94	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	14.4	378 of 427	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	368 of 415	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	380 of 426	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	401 of 417	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	401 of 423	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	385 of 415	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	381 of 399	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	373 of 392	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.7	362 of 380	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	101 of 173	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	103 of 164	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.9	160 of 166	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	154 of 157	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	383 of 438	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	371 of 428	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	386 of 437	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	391 of 410	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	396 of 421	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	379 of 415	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	367 of 396	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	379 of 396	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.5	341 of 349	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	374 of 426	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	361 of 422	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	376 of 428	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	404 of 419	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	408 of 427	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.6	394 of 418	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	383 of 399	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	382 of 397	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.5	349 of 380	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	107 of 146	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	48 of 66	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	49 of 69	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	14.3	59 of 61	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	217 of 269	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.2	164 of 271	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.5	130 of 281	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.8	207 of 281	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.3	169 of 256	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.8	218 of 274	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	247 of 254	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	221 of 223	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	168 of 195	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+29 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)33rd percentile+22 vs school

Native American (2025)27th percentile+14 vs school

African American (2026)27th percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)27th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2026)19th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English29%-28 vs state

Science29%-26 vs state

Mathematics10%-19 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a principal
Sunday, April 2, 2017

Westlawn Middle Schhol has a new administrator and a new vision! The transformation is amazing and the culture is truly different. Must visit this school!! Close Quote

Schools Near Westlawn 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 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th 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
Westlawn Middle School	Public	6-8	1715 Martin L King Jr Blvd	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3673	568	38	14.9	87.9%	7 (1.2%)	488 (85.9%)	61 (10.7%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	14.1	399^th of 449 public middle schools	11.1%		14.7	382^nd of 439 public middle schools	13.0%	17		16.0	4.4	9.9	28.6		25.0	25.7	35.2	$13,988	$3,689	$10,279
CollinsRiverside Middle School	Public	5-6	1400 3rd St	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2680	318	18	17.4	74.5%	75 (23.6%)	156 (49.1%)	80 (25.2%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)	21.3	23.8				67.7	47.6			$8,444	$849	$7,571
Echols Middle School	Public	7-8	2701 Echols Ave	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2884	738	42	17.5	55.1%	350 (47.4%)	212 (28.7%)	151 (20.5%)	9 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.8%)	59	161^st of 449 public middle schools	64.1%		51.5	199^th of 439 public middle schools	54.7%	38			24.2	23.1	54.4			60.3	60.4	$6,871	$719	$6,063
Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	315 Mcfarland Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	No	(205) 759-3653	173	11	16.4	30.1%	66 (38.2%)	89 (51.4%)	4 (2.3%)	12 (6.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	98	5^th of 449 public middle schools	98.9%		96.6	9^th of 439 public middle schools	97.9%	4		80.0	50.0	66.1	89.8		90.0	89.7	94.9	$12,744	$57	$12,668
Northridge Middle School	Public	6-8	3811 Northridge Road	Tuscaloosa	35406	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	No	(205) 759-3578	775	49	15.8	39.1%	381 (49.2%)	281 (36.3%)	67 (8.6%)	28 (3.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.9%)	77.5	73^rd of 449 public middle schools	83.7%		72.1	95^th of 439 public middle schools	78.4%	22		50.2	40.1	36.5	62.2		66.1	62.0	70.0	$9,554	$693	$8,841
Hillcrest Middle School	Public	6-8	401 Hillcrest School Rd	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2820	542	28	19.3	58.7%	80 (14.8%)	424 (78.2%)	24 (4.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	23	346^th of 449 public middle schools	22.9%		22.6	342^nd of 439 public middle schools	22.1%	4		5.4	14.3	11.4	27.9		34.3	44.8	46.6	$8,185	$843	$7,319
DavisEmerson Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Bulldog Blvd	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2750	397	21	18.9	79.3%	87 (21.9%)	165 (41.6%)	137 (34.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	14.2	397^th of 449 public middle schools	11.6%		19.2	361^st of 439 public middle schools	17.8%	36		14.9	6.0	5.7	25.4		33.0	23.3	38.5	$9,532	$2,028	$7,480
Eastwood Middle School	Public	6-8	6314 Mary Harmon Bryant Drive	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3613	711	38	18.9	71.4%	36 (5.1%)	590 (83.0%)	60 (8.4%)	9 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.7%)	22.9	347^th of 449 public middle schools	22.7%		16.4	377^th of 439 public middle schools	14.1%	30		16.1	12.0	9.4	36.8		40.0	36.3	41.7	$10,557	$1,768	$8,769
Northport Intermediate School	Public	5-6	13688 Frankie Thomas Trace	Northport	35475	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2690	500	25	19.6	44.0%	302 (60.4%)	101 (20.2%)	87 (17.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)								(n/a)	45.9	31.3				74.7	65.2
Sipsey Valley Middle School	Public	5-8	15817 Romulus Rd	Buhl	35446	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2870	575	28	20.3	46.4%	393 (68.3%)	101 (17.6%)	70 (12.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.4%)	60.5	150^th of 449 public middle schools	66.6%		53.3	183^rd of 439 public middle schools	58.3%	33	38.0	34.7	21.8	26.7	63.6	76.6	62.1	46.8	70.5	$10,233	$632	$7,231

Frequently Asked Questions about Westlawn Middle School

What district is Westlawn Middle School in?

Tuscaloosa City

What high school do graduates of Westlawn Middle School attend?

Students who attend Westlawn Middle School usually go on to attend Central High School

Is Westlawn Middle School a good school?

Westlawn Middle School ranks in the bottom 11.1% of Alabama middle schools.

How many students attend Westlawn Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 568 students attended Westlawn Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Westlawn Middle School?

Students at Westlawn Middle School are 86% African American, 11% Hispanic, 1% White.

Rate Westlawn 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.