Summary:
Zip code 36360 is home to just one middle school, D A Smith Middle School in Ozark, AL, which serves grades 6 through 8 and has an enrollment of 388 students within the Ozark City school district.
For parents considering this area, D A Smith Middle School presents a mixed picture. The school has a high-poverty population, with nearly 70% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and it operates within a district ranked in the bottom third of Alabama. On the positive side, the school boasts a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.3 to 1 and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 8.8%, which is better than both the district (11.1%) and state (12.0%) averages—a sign that students are consistently showing up to class. Academically, the school shows a clear split between subjects. English Language Arts performance is comparatively stronger, with 7th grade reaching 54.17% proficiency, nearly matching the state average of 55.25%. However, mathematics is a significant concern, particularly in 8th grade, where proficiency plummeted from 17.69% to just 5.34% in one year—a 70% decline and far below the state's 26.36%. Even 7th-grade math, at 11.67% proficiency, is less than half the state average.
The most alarming trend is the school's declining state ranking, which has slipped from the 50th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 31st percentile in 2025-2026. The 8th-grade math collapse is a critical red flag that suggests potential issues with curriculum alignment or a particularly challenging cohort. Notably, the school's test scores almost perfectly mirror district averages, indicating these struggles are systemic to the Ozark City district rather than isolated to this one school. While the school shows promise in literacy and maintains strong attendance, the combination of high poverty, declining math performance, and a falling state ranking means parents should expect that significant, targeted interventions will be needed to help students succeed, especially in mathematics.
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