Summary:
Zip code 36869 is home to just one middle school, South Girard School, an unusual 8th-grade-only campus in Phenix City, Alabama, serving 501 students within the Phenix City school district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that South Girard School shows a dramatic split in academic performance. Mathematics is a serious concern, with only 14.29% of students proficient in the 2025-2026 school year—roughly half the state average of 26.36%. This is not a new issue; proficiency dipped slightly from 15.34% the prior year, indicating a persistent challenge. In contrast, English (54.29% proficient) and Science (50.2% proficient) are much closer to state averages (58.53% and 54.12%, respectively), showing that students can succeed in subjects that rely less on advanced math computation. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 18.1%, notably higher than the district's 15.1% and the state's 12.0%, which likely hampers consistent learning. With 60.48% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a majority low-income population, yet its relatively strong English scores suggest some resilience despite socioeconomic challenges.
One notable data point: the school's test scores are identical to the district's 8th-grade averages for every subject and year, confirming that South Girard School is the sole driver of the district's 8th-grade results. The school's state ranking has fluctuated, peaking at 248th in 2024-2025 and currently sitting at 255th out of 443 schools (42nd percentile). With a student-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 and per-student spending of $8,878, the school has reasonable resources. The clear priority for improvement is math instruction, alongside tackling absenteeism, which could yield broad gains across all subjects.
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