Summary:
Zip code 35216 is home to just one middle school, Pizitz Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 1,131 students in the Vestavia, AL area.
Pizitz Middle School is an elite institution, ranked #2 out of 443 middle schools in Alabama for the 2025-2026 school year, and has held a top-3 position for three consecutive years. The school is part of the highly regarded Vestavia Hills City district, which is ranked #2 out of 139 districts statewide. Academically, Pizitz dramatically outperforms state averages in every subject and grade level, with proficiency gaps ranging from 31 to 51 percentage points. For example, 8th-grade math proficiency is 77.05% compared to the state's 26.36%, while 8th-grade science proficiency reaches an impressive 94.05% versus the state's 54.12%. English proficiency shows a steady climb from 88.36% in 6th grade to 93.77% in 8th grade. The school also boasts a favorable 15:1 student-teacher ratio and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.2%, less than half the state's 12.0%.
One notable finding is a dip in 7th-grade math proficiency, which falls to 64.89% from 81.76% in 6th grade—a 16.87 percentage point drop—though it still exceeds the state average by over 40 points. This suggests a potential curriculum transition challenge that could be an area for improvement. With only 10.17% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch and per-student spending at $10,929, the school benefits from strong resources and a supportive community. Overall, Pizitz Middle School delivers exceptional results across nearly all metrics, making it one of the top-performing middle schools in Alabama, with the 7th-grade math dip representing the clearest opportunity for further gains.
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