Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 35957 consist of a single school, Boaz Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in the Boaz City district, a high-poverty area where over 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Boaz Middle School has seen its state ranking slip over three years, from 118th to 192nd, driven largely by a dramatic collapse in math scores for older students. In 2025-2026, 6th graders posted a strong 53.89% math proficiency rate, well above the state average of 35.22%. However, 7th graders fell to just 15.98% proficiency, and 8th graders to 16.40%—both well below state averages. This represents a staggering 37.91-point drop between 6th and 7th grade, suggesting a serious curriculum or transition issue. English Language Arts is a relative strength, with 6th and 7th graders at or above state averages, though 8th grade ELA (52.38%) trails the state (58.53%). Science proficiency for 8th graders improved to 51.85%, but still sits slightly below the state average of 54.12%.
On a positive note, chronic absenteeism is a bright spot at 10.8%, better than both the district (14.9%) and state (12.0%), indicating attendance is not the root cause of academic struggles. The student-teacher ratio is 18:1, and per-student spending was $8,964 (2018-2019 data). The school’s strong 6th-grade performance proves that high achievement is possible even with a high-poverty population, making the sharp decline in 7th and 8th-grade math particularly puzzling. Parents should ask the school about specific interventions for upper-grade math, as this is the clearest area of concern. Overall, Boaz Middle School offers a solid foundation in early middle school but struggles to maintain momentum as students advance.
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