Summary:
Zip code 35126, encompassing the Pinson area, is served by a single public middle school, Rudd Middle School, which educates students in grades 6 through 8 within the Jefferson County school district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Rudd Middle School faces significant academic challenges. The school ranks in the 17th percentile statewide (366th out of 443 middle schools), a position it has held consistently for the past three years. Proficiency rates are well below district and state averages in every subject. Mathematics is the most concerning area, with proficiency rates ranging from just 8.65% in 8th grade to 11.52% in 7th grade—roughly one-third of the state average. English is the school's relative strength, with 7th-grade proficiency at 43.46%, much closer to the district average of 46.28%. Science proficiency for 8th graders sits at 28.57%, compared to 41.99% for the district and 54.12% for the state.
The school also contends with significant non-academic hurdles. A high percentage of students (71.3%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating widespread economic disadvantage. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, affecting 20.7% of students—well above the district's 16.9% and the state's 12.0% averages. This combination of low attendance and high economic need likely compounds the academic struggles. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, which is typical, and per-student spending was $8,337 in the 2018-2019 school year, though this data is now dated. While the school shows a slight recovery in some scores from the previous year, the overall picture is one of a school needing substantial support to close a persistent and wide performance gap.
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