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James T Alton Middle School

Q: Is James T Alton Middle School a good school?

James T Alton Middle School ranks 239 th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

239^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 25% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

James T Alton Middle School is a public middle school located in Vine Grove, Kentucky, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 608 students. The school is part of the Hardin County School District, which is ranked 80 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past 10 years, James T Alton Middle School's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 102 out of 282 Kentucky middle schools in 2020-2021 (rated 3 stars) to 239 out of 320 in 2024-2025 (rated 1 star), indicating a decline in the school's performance relative to other middle schools in the state. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with African American and multi-racial students performing relatively well, while female, male, white, and low socioeconomic status students have struggled. The school's test scores in core subjects like Mathematics, Reading, and Science are generally below the Hardin County and Kentucky state averages.

Compared to other middle schools in the Hardin County district, such as West Hardin Middle School and East Hardin Middle School, James T Alton Middle School generally underperforms, with lower statewide rankings, poorer test scores, and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Despite relatively high per-student spending, the school's academic outcomes are below the district and state averages, suggesting a potential need to evaluate the effectiveness of resource allocation and instructional practices.

612

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,939

Per pupil spending ?

53.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Country Club Rd
Vine Grove, KY 40175

(270) 877-2135

District: Hardin County

Students who attend James T Alton Middle School usually attend:

High:

North Hardin High School

Feeder schools for James T Alton Middle School:

Elementary:	North Park Elementary School
	Rineyville Elementary School
	Vine Grove Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.2%

African American:

14.7%

Two or more races:

13.4%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare James T Alton Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (35% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg41%

Kentucky avg43%

239^th of 320

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Hardin County

80^th of 157Hardin County among Kentucky districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	239 of 320	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.6	189 of 324	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.2	136 of 327	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.1	122 of 320	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.7	102 of 282	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	180 of 335	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	141 of 322	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	36.9	222 of 330	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.3	172 of 331	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.8	176 of 337	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.8	173 of 335	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.4	141 of 335	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	44.8	183 of 319	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.2	124 of 304	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	44.2	175 of 299	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.3	198 of 289	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.8	198 of 287	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.9	126 of 284	55.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	34.4	56 of 83	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	47 of 80	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	71.0	20 of 79	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	58.0	30 of 84	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	41 of 96	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.7	23 of 96	76.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2022	30.8	76 of 111	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	89 of 226	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.3	91 of 219	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	28.5	233 of 298	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	223 of 300	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.3	139 of 295	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.8	129 of 299	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.1	85 of 233	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.3	197 of 299	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.6	173 of 290	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	62.2	19 of 62	69.4%	★★★★☆
2018	59.2	33 of 63	47.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	83 of 131	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.3	42 of 123	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	45 of 119	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.0	56 of 120	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	59 of 120	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	69 of 116	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	253 of 314	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.1	205 of 311	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.1	152 of 309	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	113 of 310	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.2	96 of 224	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	175 of 303	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.5	167 of 285	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	28.5	232 of 303	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.5	141 of 304	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.9	94 of 307	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.7	108 of 304	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	95 of 222	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.5	155 of 303	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.2	113 of 293	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	46.2	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	3 of 5	40.0%	★★★★☆
2023	35.2	5 of 6	16.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.3	5 of 5	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.6	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2019	44.6	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2018	30.3	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	33.4	67 of 101	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.3	43 of 99	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	24 of 95	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.2	19 of 98	80.6%	★★★★☆
2021	57.0	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2019	49.5	51 of 87	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	77.2	10 of 85	88.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	91 of 126	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.8	38 of 130	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	55.0	39 of 124	68.5%	★★★★☆
2019	45.8	164 of 294	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	224 of 314	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.8	170 of 316	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.1	101 of 320	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	123 of 314	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	88 of 213	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.9	134 of 266	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	117 of 253	53.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Gifted and Talented (2019)69th percentile+23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)34th percentile+8 vs school

Military Connected (2025)33rd percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)33rd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile-30 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile~ school

Male (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Reading41%-6 vs state

Science35%+6 vs state

Editing and Mechanics35%-14 vs state

Mathematics34%-8 vs state

Social Studies29%-10 vs state

Writing24%-25 vs state

2.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

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2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, August 4, 2019

I believe it's a pretty decent school. Better than most that I've been too. The councilors are always there for you and the whole school. There are some fights here and there but the administration works really hard to resolve conflicts. The teachers there in my opinion are fairly decent. MOST of them actually teach you something when our there and I enjoy that. Overall it's a pretty good school in my opinion Close Quote

by a student
Sunday, March 25, 2018

Hello, I am a previous student of J.T.Alton Middle School. I attended this school for my sixth grade year. I'm not going to sugar coat this Middle school here was probably the worst year of my life. At most schools, a fight between two kids would be the talk of the year. But here you have kids getting beat up and in fights weekly, at least. Hell, I had to learn how to defend myself so I wouldn't get beat up. You also get a very large concentration of homophobism and racism here, and the teachers do nothing. One day I was in class and a kid yells a homophobic slur, and the teacher doesn't do anything, even though she clearly heard it. And if you have bad grades because of severe anxiety and sleep deprivation, sucks for you I guess, because none of the staff will care. I recommend going to probably any school within Hardin county but this one. Close Quote

Schools Near James T Alton Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)					KSA Reading (2025)					KSA Science (2025)		KSA Writing (2025)		KSA Social Studies (2025)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Science 4th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
James T Alton Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Country Club Rd	Vine Grove	40175	Hardin County	Hardin County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 877-2135	612	38	16.3	53.1%	356 (58.2%)	90 (14.7%)	66 (10.8%)	10 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.8%)	82 (13.4%)	28.8	239^th of 320 public middle schools	25.3%		40.6	189^th of 324 public middle schools	41.7%	50			27.0	37.0	37.0			42.0	51.0	31.0		35.0		24.0		29.0		35.0	$25,939	$1,269	$1,062	$2,331	$19,505	$4,104	$23,608
North Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Trojan Way	Radcliff	40160	Hardin County	Hardin County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 352-3340	567	33	17.0	60.5%	235 (41.4%)	143 (25.2%)	90 (15.9%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	87 (15.3%)	18.1	273^rd of 320 public middle schools	14.7%		18.7	278^th of 324 public middle schools	14.2%	5			20.0	15.0	25.0			43.0	29.0	35.0				36.0		27.0		47.0	$25,522	$1,210	$1,089	$2,299	$19,199	$4,025	$23,224
Flaherty Elementary School	Public	4-6	2615 Flaherty Rd	Ekron	40117	Meade County	Meade County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 422-7565	299	18	16.5	51.2%	251 (83.9%)	8 (2.7%)	17 (5.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.4%)								(n/a)	36.0	37.0	43.0			40.0	42.0	62.0			26.0		41.0		22.0		53.0		$14,135	$958	$115	$1,073	$8,920	$1,989	$11,209
Bluegrass Middle School	Public	6-8	170 W A Jenkins Rd	Elizabethtown	42701	Hardin County	Hardin County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 765-2658	583	38	15.3	55.7%	346 (59.3%)	81 (13.9%)	66 (11.3%)	17 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.7%)	62 (10.6%)	36	211^th of 320 public middle schools	34.1%		34.2	220^th of 324 public middle schools	32.1%	9			35.0	39.0	31.0			51.0	47.0	39.0		23.0		42.0		35.0		50.0	$24,807	$988	$1,070	$2,059	$18,626	$4,122	$22,748
Talton K Stone Middle School	Public	6-8	323 Morningside Dr	Elizabethtown	42701	Hardin County	Elizabethtown Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 769-6343	526	31	16.8	43.0%	324 (61.6%)	55 (10.5%)	57 (10.8%)	20 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	68 (12.9%)	53.8	139^th of 320 public middle schools	56.6%		61.3	104^th of 324 public middle schools	67.9%	35			36.0	48.0	41.0			50.0	55.0	40.0		46.0		49.0		35.0		59.0	$11,435	$823	$607	$1,429	$8,288	$1,718	$10,006
East Hardin Middle School	Public	6-8	810 New Glendale Rd.	Elizabethtown	42701	Hardin County	Hardin County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 369-7370	775	43	18.0	32.9%	653 (84.3%)	19 (2.5%)	47 (6.1%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	43 (5.5%)	76.8	52^nd of 320 public middle schools	83.8%		80.7	37^th of 324 public middle schools	88.6%	15			50.0	65.0	51.0			61.0	65.0	52.0		46.0		53.0		51.0		62.0	$24,529	$938	$1,047	$1,985	$18,421	$4,123	$22,544
West Hardin Middle School	Public	6-8	10471 Leitchfield Rd	Cecilia	42724	Hardin County	Hardin County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 862-3924	476	32	15.1	55.7%	394 (82.8%)	26 (5.5%)	30 (6.3%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.8%)	54.5	134^th of 320 public middle schools	58.1%		51.3	147^th of 324 public middle schools	54.6%	13			39.0	45.0	50.0			58.0	51.0	44.0		32.0		53.0		40.0		50.0	$26,080	$922	$1,138	$2,060	$19,780	$4,240	$24,020
David T. Wilson Elementary	Public	4-6	1075 Old Ekron Rd	Brandenburg	40108	Meade County	Meade County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 422-7540	529	28	18.6	40.6%	452 (85.4%)	3 (0.6%)	29 (5.5%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	37 (7.0%)								(n/a)	58.0	47.0	62.0			63.0	60.0	68.0			48.0		50.0		43.0		58.0		$12,169	$975	$52	$1,027	$7,349	$1,757	$9,406
Stuart Pepper Middle School	Public	7-8	1085 Old Ekron Rd	Brandenburg	40108	Meade County	Meade County	No	No	No	No	(270) 422-7530	702	36	19.4	40.0%	607 (86.5%)	14 (2.0%)	36 (5.1%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	38 (5.4%)	50.8	147^th of 320 public middle schools	54.1%		42.7	176^th of 324 public middle schools	45.7%	29				46.0	41.0				53.0	36.0		31.0		53.0		38.0		52.0	$11,456	$490	$32	$522	$7,325	$1,680	$9,305
Bernheim Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Audubon Dr	Shepherdsville	40165	Bullitt County	Bullitt County	No	No	No	Yes	(502) 869-4000	371	22	16.8	53.4%	340 (91.6%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.7%)	53.8	137^th of 320 public middle schools	57.2%		51.9	142^nd of 324 public middle schools	56.2%	5			42.0	46.0	41.0			53.0	46.0	45.0		31.0		63.0		43.0		52.0	$17,285	$470	$672	$1,142	$9,763	$2,003	$11,766

Frequently Asked Questions about James T Alton Middle School

What is the racial makeup of James T Alton Middle School?

Students at James T Alton Middle School are 58% White, 15% African American, 13% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

Is James T Alton Middle School a good school?

James T Alton Middle School ranks 239^th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is James T Alton Middle School in?

Hardin County

How many students attend James T Alton Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 612 students attended James T Alton Middle School.

What high school do graduates of James T Alton Middle School attend?

Students who attend James T Alton Middle School usually go on to attend North Hardin High School

Rate James T Alton Middle School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.