Summary:
Zip code 35904 in Gadsden, Alabama, is served by a single middle school, Sansom Middle School, which enrolls 339 students in grades 6-8 within the Gadsden City school district.
For parents considering Sansom Middle School, the most encouraging news is a dramatic turnaround in 8th grade performance during the 2025-2026 school year. English proficiency jumped from 33.83% to 54.76%, math improved from 6.72% to 16.67%, and science nearly doubled from 27.82% to 53.57%—the latter now almost matching the state average and far exceeding the district’s 40.46%. This helped the school climb from the 32nd to the 47th percentile in statewide rankings, though it still holds a 2-star rating. English is a consistent bright spot across all grades, with proficiency rates around 54-55%, close to state averages despite 77.58% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Science in 8th grade is another unexpected strength, while math remains the biggest challenge, especially in 7th (13.54%) and 8th (16.67%) grades, where proficiency rates are less than half of the 6th grade’s 30.28%.
The school’s student-to-teacher ratio is 16.6:1, and per-student spending is $10,000. Chronic absenteeism sits at 13.5%, slightly above the state’s 12.0% but below the district’s 13.9%. The 6th grade math advantage—more than double the proficiency of upper grades—suggests a systemic decline in math skills as students advance, pointing to a critical area for targeted intervention. Overall, Sansom Middle School shows notable strengths in literacy and science, with recent 8th grade gains indicating that focused efforts can yield significant results, even in a high-poverty setting.
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