Summary:
The two public middle schools serving the 35115 zip code—Calera Middle and Montevallo Middle School—are part of the Shelby County district and serve grades 6 through 8, with a combined enrollment of 1,113 students in the Montevallo and Calera areas.
These two schools take very different approaches to education, yet end up with nearly identical state rankings. Calera Middle is the larger school with 767 students, a student-teacher ratio of 16.8, and per-student spending of $8,564—a more cost-efficient model. Montevallo Middle School is smaller with 346 students, a much lower student-teacher ratio of 11.3, and significantly higher per-student spending at $12,938. Despite these differences, both schools rank in the bottom half of the state (232nd and 233rd out of 443 schools), suggesting neither model currently provides a clear academic advantage. Both schools also serve a majority of economically disadvantaged students, with Montevallo at 78.61% compared to Calera's 62.45%, and both have chronic absenteeism rates (13.9% and 14.4%) above the state average of 12%.
Academically, mathematics is the biggest challenge at both schools, with proficiency rates around 20-28% across grade levels—well below district averages. However, there is a positive trend: both schools improved their 8th-grade math scores from the previous year. English performance is stronger, with proficiency rates in the 43-60% range, and 8th-grade science is a clear bright spot, with Montevallo Middle School achieving 60.19% proficiency and Calera Middle at 48.43%, both exceeding the state average of 54.12%. For parents, this means both schools offer solid science instruction but need significant work in math, and the higher spending at Montevallo has not yet translated into better overall outcomes.
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