Summary:
In zip code 35016, there is exactly one middle school serving grades 6 through 8: Arab Junior High School, which is part of the highly-rated Arab City school district.
Arab Junior High School is a standout performer, ranking in the top 6% of all middle schools in Alabama (rank 27 out of 443) and maintaining a 5-star rating for three consecutive years. With 563 students, the school achieves academic proficiency rates that are roughly 2 to 2.7 times higher than the state average in every subject and grade level. For example, 6th-grade math proficiency is 75.61% and 8th-grade science proficiency is 76.96%, compared to state averages that are significantly lower. The school also has a low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.1%, which is half the state average of 12.0%, though it is higher than the district average of 3.8%. About 43% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity, yet the school still delivers exceptional results.
One notable trend is a consistent "7th-grade slump," where proficiency scores drop noticeably in 7th grade before rebounding in 8th grade. For instance, math proficiency falls from 75.61% in 6th grade to 65.88% in 7th grade, and English drops from 82.44% to 70.18%. Another area of concern is 8th-grade math, which declined from 69.83% in 2024-2025 to 59.69% in 2025-2026, a drop of over 10 points. However, 8th-grade science saw a strong increase from 68.16% to 76.96% over the same period. Overall, Arab Junior High School provides a consistently high-quality education, with its main challenges being the 7th-grade dip and the recent 8th-grade math decline, while its strengths include top-tier rankings, strong science performance, and success with a diverse student population.
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