Summary:
Zip code 36108 in Montgomery, AL, is served by a single middle school, Southlawn Middle School, which enrolls 494 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Montgomery County school district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Southlawn Middle School is facing severe academic challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 1-2% of all Alabama middle schools for three consecutive years. The most alarming data point is in mathematics, where 0% of 6th graders and only 1.8% of 7th graders scored proficient in 2025-2026, compared to state averages of 35.2% and 24.5% respectively. Even the school's best math performance (8th grade at 3.7%) is dramatically below the state average of 26.4%. English proficiency is relatively stronger, ranging from 15.8% to 21.9% across grades, though still roughly 35 percentage points behind state averages. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism, with 33.2% of students missing significant school days—nearly triple the state average of 12%—which likely compounds the learning challenges. With 86% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population, and per-student spending is $10,399 with a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1.
There are some encouraging signs amid the difficulties. Science proficiency in 8th grade more than doubled from 8.86% to 18.25% in one year, and English scores showed modest gains in 6th and 7th grades. While the school significantly underperforms its own district averages—for example, district math proficiency is 17.7% for 6th grade versus 0% at Southlawn—the improvement in science suggests that targeted interventions can yield results. For parents, the priority should be understanding the math instruction gap and the attendance crisis, as these appear to be the most critical areas needing immediate attention and support.
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