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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 35210

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At a glance

Schools

614

Students

Districts

Top rankedIrondale Middle School371^st of 443 Alabama middle schools

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Summary:

Zip code 35210 is home to two middle schools serving grades 6 through 8: Irondale Middle School and WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet, which together offer families a stark contrast in academic performance, resources, and student outcomes within the same community.

Irondale Middle School is the clear standout in this area. It ranks in the 16th percentile statewide (371 out of 443), compared to WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet’s 5th percentile (423 out of 443). Irondale outperforms its neighbor in every subject and grade level—for example, 6th-grade math proficiency is 8.47% versus just 1.47% at WE Putnam, and 8th-grade science proficiency is 31.37% versus 11.11%. Irondale also has a much healthier chronic absenteeism rate of 10.7%, which is below the state average of 12.0%, while WE Putnam struggles with a 27.1% rate. Irondale is part of the Jefferson County district, and its absenteeism is also better than that district’s 16.9% average.

Despite its “Magnet” label, WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet faces significant challenges. It spends considerably more per student ($13,151 versus $9,209 at Irondale) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (10.8 versus 15.9), yet its test scores are critically low—including 0% proficiency for 8th-grade math in the 2024-2025 school year. The school also has a higher percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (84.24% versus 74.65%). Interestingly, the English proficiency gap between the two schools is much narrower than in math, and WE Putnam showed some improvement in 8th-grade science and English from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026. For parents, the data clearly points to Irondale Middle School as the stronger academic choice, while WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet may warrant a closer look at its programs and support services before enrolling.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet	Public, Magnet	6-8	1757 Montclair Rd	Birmingham	35210	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(205) 231-8680	184	17	10.8	84.2%	4 (2.2%)	170 (92.4%)	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	8.2	423^rd of 443 public middle schools	4.5%		9.2	420^th of 439 public middle schools	4.3%	3	1.5	1.6	3.2	11.1	19.1	27.4	34.9	$13,151	$2,135	$11,015
Irondale Middle School	Public	6-8	6200 Old Leeds Road	Irondale	35210	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 379-3800	430	27	15.9	74.7%	37 (8.6%)	227 (52.8%)	150 (34.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	17.3	371^st of 443 public middle schools	16.3%		17.6	372^nd of 439 public middle schools	15.3%	1	8.5	2.5	5.8	31.4	40.2	38.1	39.9	$9,209	$1,936	$7,250

Cities Near Zip Code 35210

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Irondale	1.03 mi	3	270^th
Birmingham	1.89 mi	76	257^th
Mountain Brook	2.8 mi	6	1^st
Vestavia	4.36 mi	2	2^nd
Vestavia Hills	4.37 mi	7	4^th

See the top AL Alabama cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.