Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 35071 consist of a single school, Bragg Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 in Gardendale, AL, with an enrollment of 731 students.
Bragg Middle School is a standout performer within the Jefferson County district, consistently beating district averages by 15 to 30 percentage points across all subjects and grade levels. The school’s greatest strength is 8th-grade Science, where 74.13% of students are proficient—nearly double the district rate (41.99%) and well above the state average (54.12%). English proficiency is also strong, with 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade rates ranging from 60% to 69.73%, all comfortably above state averages. The school has shown a positive three-year trend in its state ranking, moving from the 72nd to the 77th percentile, indicating steady academic improvement.
However, there are areas of concern. The most notable is 7th-grade Mathematics, where only 18.64% of students are proficient—the lowest score in any subject at the school and the only instance where the school falls below the state average (24.46%). While 6th and 8th-grade math scores (38.08% and 36.15%) exceed state averages, math remains the weakest subject overall. Chronic absenteeism is another issue, with 15.5% of students missing significant school time—better than the district’s 16.9% but higher than the state’s 12.0%. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1 and 45.83% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, Bragg Middle School offers a solid academic foundation, particularly in science and English, but families should be aware of the 7th-grade math dip and attendance challenges when considering this school.
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