Summary:
Zip code 35660 in Sheffield, AL, is home to a single middle school, Sheffield Junior High School, which serves grades 7 and 8 with a total enrollment of 127 students within the Sheffield City district.
For parents considering this school, the most important takeaway is that Sheffield Junior High School shows a clear split between its 7th and 8th-grade performance. In the most recent testing year, 8th graders scored dramatically better than 7th graders in math (23.21% proficient vs. just 5.36%) and also outperformed them in English (57.14% vs. 50.91%). The 8th-grade English score is essentially at the state average, and 8th-grade math is close to it, suggesting that the school's instruction becomes more effective as students progress. However, the 7th-grade math proficiency rate is alarmingly low and represents a critical area of concern. The school has a favorable 13:1 student-teacher ratio, which allows for more individualized attention, and it serves a predominantly low-income population, with 69.29% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism stands at 15.0%, which is higher than the state average of 12.0% but lower than the district's 18.6%.
On a positive note, the school has shown consistent improvement in its state ranking over the past three years, moving from the 28th percentile to the 39th percentile, indicating slow but steady progress relative to other Alabama schools. English Language Arts is clearly the school's strongest subject area, with 8th-grade proficiency nearly matching the state average. The stark difference between 7th and 8th-grade scores, particularly in math, suggests the current 7th-grade cohort may be academically weaker, or that interventions are more effective in the upper grade. With such a small enrollment, individual student performance can significantly sway percentages, so year-over-year comparisons should be interpreted with some caution. The most recent per-student spending data is from 2018-2019 ($10,737), which is outdated and limits current financial analysis.
Thank you for your feedback!