Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 35010

Middle Schools in zip code 35010, located in the Alexander City area of Alabama, are served by two schools that together form a two-tier system covering grades 5 through 8, with a combined enrollment of 844 students and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged families.

For parents, the standout school in this area is William L Radney Elementary School, which serves grades 5-6 and shows exceptional academic performance, particularly in math. In the most recent school year, 6th graders at Radney achieved a 48.42% math proficiency rate, which is over 13 percentage points higher than the state average, and they also showed a remarkable 13-point improvement from the previous year. English scores at Radney are also strong, with 6th graders at 64.74% proficiency, beating the state average by nearly 8 points. In contrast, Alexander City Middle School, serving grades 7-8, struggles more academically, especially in math, where only 27.72% of 8th graders are proficient. While Alexander City Middle shows improvement in math year-over-year and has a notable strength in 8th-grade science (47.26% proficiency), it still lags behind Radney in nearly every comparable subject area.

The most striking finding is the dramatic "middle school cliff" in math: students at Radney excel in 6th grade, but proficiency plummets by over 17 points when they transition to 7th grade at Alexander City Middle. This suggests a potential curriculum alignment or transition issue within the Alexander City district. Interestingly, Alexander City Middle spends more per student ($9,288 vs. $8,419) and has a better student-teacher ratio, yet Radney outperforms it, indicating resources may not be effectively translated into results. On a positive note, both schools have chronic absenteeism rates below the state average, with Radney at just 9.0%, showing strong student engagement despite high poverty levels. Parents should be aware that while Radney provides an excellent foundation, the transition to Alexander City Middle may require additional academic support, particularly in mathematics.