Middle Schools in Tuscaloosa City

The Tuscaloosa City school district in Alabama is home to 4 middle schools, serving students in grades 6-8. These schools vary significantly in their academic performance, student demographics, and resource allocation, with the Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle standing out as the top-performing school in the district and one of the best in the state.

The Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Alabama, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. This school boasts significantly higher test scores across all subjects and grade levels compared to the district and state averages, with 84.75% of 6th graders proficient or better in math, far exceeding the Tuscaloosa City (28.31%) and Alabama (31.56%) averages. In contrast, Westlawn Middle School appears to be the lowest-performing school in the district, ranking in the bottom 10% of Alabama middle schools with only 1.8% of 7th graders proficient or better in math.

The middle schools in the Tuscaloosa City district also vary greatly in their student demographics and resource allocation. Eastwood Middle School and Westlawn Middle School serve predominantly African American, high-poverty student populations, with free/reduced lunch rates of 77.84% and 92.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, Northridge Middle School and Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle have more diverse student bodies. The data suggests that higher spending per student does not necessarily translate to better academic outcomes, as the lowest-performing school, Westlawn Middle, has the highest spending per student at $13,988.