Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 35476

Zip code 35476 in Northport, Alabama, is served by two middle schools within the Tuscaloosa County school district, which together educate about 1,056 students across grades 5 through 8. Echols Middle School serves grades 7-8 with 738 students, while Collins-Riverside Middle School serves grades 5-6 with 318 students, creating a natural feeder pipeline between the two campuses.

Echols Middle School is the clear academic leader, showing three consecutive years of improvement in its state ranking (now in the 64th percentile) and exceeding state averages in English Language Arts for both grades. Its most impressive gain came in 8th grade science, which jumped 15 percentage points in a single year to essentially match the state average. Mathematics remains a challenge at both schools, with proficiency rates stuck in the low 20s across all grade levels. Collins-Riverside Middle School faces greater obstacles, with nearly 75% of students receiving free/reduced lunch compared to 55% at Echols, and its academic performance lags behind—particularly in 6th grade English, where only 47.57% of students are proficient versus 67.68% for 5th graders, a puzzling 20-point gap that may reflect curriculum transitions or cohort differences.

Interestingly, Collins-Riverside spends 23% more per student ($8,444 vs. $6,871) yet achieves lower test scores, suggesting that additional resources are being directed toward supporting a higher-needs population rather than driving academic gains. The school does have a notable bright spot: its chronic absenteeism rate of 8.4% is well below the district and state averages, while Echols sits slightly above at 12.1%. Both schools share nearly identical student-teacher ratios (about 17.5:1), and English Language Arts is the relative strength at both campuses. For parents, the key takeaway is that Echols offers a stronger academic trajectory, while Collins-Riverside serves younger students with greater economic challenges but better attendance—and both schools would benefit from a coordinated focus on improving mathematics instruction.