Schools in Zip Code 35091

Zip code 35091 (Kimberly, AL) is served by two schools in the Jefferson County district, enrolling about 1,555 students in grades 6 through 12, with no elementary schools in the immediate area.

North Jefferson Middle School is the standout performer, ranking in the 80th percentile statewide (89th of 443 Alabama middle schools) with a 4-star rating. It has improved its ranking for three straight years and beats district averages by 17 to 28 percentage points in every subject, while also exceeding state averages in 10 of 14 test categories. Its 8th-grade science proficiency (64.36%) and 6th-grade English proficiency (65.40%) are particularly strong. The school also posts an excellent chronic absenteeism rate of 9.8%, well below the state average of 12.0%, and achieves these results while spending about $1,000 less per student than the high school.

Mortimer Jordan High School is a solid but less impressive performer, ranking in the 69th percentile (118th of 380 Alabama high schools) with a 3-star rating. It excels in science (41.26% proficiency vs. 25.31% district and 36.17% state) and has a graduation rate of 89.5%, but its math proficiency (22.71%) falls below the state average. The high school has declined in ranking for three consecutive years (89th → 113th → 118th), and its chronic absenteeism rate (14.7%) is higher than the state average. Both schools serve nearly identical socioeconomic populations (~34.8% free/reduced lunch), yet the middle school's 8th-grade math proficiency (31.03%) drops to 22.71% by 11th grade, and English proficiency falls from 66.34% to 33.82%. This suggests a significant performance erosion during the transition to high school, making the middle school a clear academic powerhouse while the high school struggles to build on that foundation.