Challenger Middle School

Summary:

Challenger Middle School is a public middle school in Huntsville, Alabama, serving 438 students in grades 6-8. As part of the Huntsville City School District, which is ranked 83 out of 137 districts in the state, Challenger Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Alabama, maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years.

Challenger Middle School's academic performance is exceptional, outperforming the Huntsville City and Alabama state averages in key areas like mathematics, English language arts, and science. For example, the school's 6th-grade mathematics proficiency rates are around 30-50%, compared to 26-30% for Huntsville City and 30-32% for the state. Additionally, the school's diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 52% White, 26% African American, and 11% Hispanic, is a strength that can contribute to a rich learning environment. Challenger Middle School also performs exceptionally well in serving its special education students, ranking in the top 9-48 out of 281 Alabama middle schools in this category.

While Challenger Middle School's overall performance is impressive, there is room for improvement in supporting its low socioeconomic status (SES) students, as the school's ranking for this population is relatively lower, in the top 112-265 out of 410-437 Alabama middle schools. Nonetheless, Challenger Middle School remains a standout institution, consistently outperforming many of the nearby middle schools in the Huntsville City School District, such as Hampton Cove Middle School, which also demonstrates exceptional academic performance.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 13555 Chaney Thompson Rd
       Huntsville, AL  35803


(256) 428-7620

District: Huntsville City

SchoolDigger Rank:
61st of 442 Alabama Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,912 Help


Students who attend Challenger Middle School usually attend:

High:    Virgil Grissom High School

Feeder schools for Challenger Middle School:

Elementary:    Challenger Elementary School
    Farley Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.8 Help
Number of students:  438

Racial breakdown:

White:
52.1%
African American:
26.3%
Hispanic:
11.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  43.8% Help


 See top rated Alabama middle schools

 Compare Challenger Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Challenger Middle School ranks better than 86.2% of middle schools in Alabama. It also ranks 3rd among 7 ranked middle schools in the Huntsville City School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.42. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (52.1%), African American (26.3%), Hispanic (11.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 43.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School is 16.8, which is the lowest among 7 middle schools in the Huntsville City School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Challenger Middle School employs 26 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Challenger Middle School is $8,912, which is the highest among 7 middle schools in the Huntsville City School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Challenger Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Challenger Middle School 61st of 442 Alabama public middle schools. (See Challenger Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Huntsville City:

SchoolDigger ranks Huntsville City 83rd of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Challenger Middle School?

Rank History for Challenger Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 94.31 12th 407 97.1%
2005 93.01 14th 415 96.6%
2006 93.18 15th 409 96.3%
2007 88.91 20th 412 95.1%
2008 86.82 25th 417 94.0%
2009 92.34 10th 425 97.6%
2010 85.96 29th 435 93.3%
2011 83.79 34th 435 92.2%
2012 83.94 36th 436 91.7%
2013 78.59 49th 436 88.8%
2014 84.64 42nd 438 90.4%
2015 88.36 40th 430 90.7%
2016 87.39 40th 432 90.7%
2017 79.32 67th 432 84.5%
2018 82.66 54th 423 87.2%
2019 84.23 49th 437 88.8%
2021 69.53 91st 440 79.3%
2022 75.50 70th 432 83.8%
2023 73.61 85th 437 80.5%
2024 81.42 61st 442 86.2%
See the entire list of Alabama Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 53.42 19th 46 58.7%
2021 49.37 31st 61 49.2%
2022 75.77 10th 60 83.3%
2023 57.44 27th 72 62.5%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 62.08 37th 195 81.0%
2018 67.40 42nd 223 81.2%
2019 75.37 24th 254 90.6%
2021 75.14 25th 274 90.9%
2022 75.95 25th 256 90.2%
2023 68.43 48th 281 82.9%
2024 91.07 9th 281 96.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 59.54 107th 349 69.3%
2018 72.72 79th 396 80.1%
2019 82.39 33rd 396 91.7%
2021 46.97 209th 415 49.6%
2022 39.13 265th 421 37.1%
2023 44.76 223rd 410 45.6%
2024 65.11 112th 437 74.4%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 76.91 60th 380 84.2%
2018 82.94 48th 392 87.8%
2019 79.23 58th 399 85.5%
2021 63.99 116th 415 72.0%
2022 69.82 92nd 423 78.3%
2023 69.55 96th 417 77.0%
2024 79.28 60th 426 85.9%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 49.09 14th 26 46.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 78.04 56th 380 85.3%
2018 80.85 52nd 397 86.9%
2019 82.82 43rd 399 89.2%
2021 70.18 85th 418 79.7%
2022 76.70 61st 427 85.7%
2023 74.71 75th 419 82.1%
2024 80.14 61st 428 85.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 45.48 8th 14 42.9%
2021 62.59 8th 22 63.6%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 35.74 135th 205 34.1%
2018 52.94 92nd 247 62.8%
2019 61.21 65th 252 74.2%
2021 45.57 110th 266 58.6%
2022 54.39 87th 271 67.9%
2023 58.56 73rd 263 72.2%
2024 54.25 91st 269 66.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.41 14th 113 87.6%
2019 73.59 21st 124 83.1%
2021 55.72 58th 154 62.3%
2022 67.50 37th 157 76.4%
2023 60.37 53rd 166 68.1%
2024 85.49 11th 164 93.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Challenger Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 68.82 52nd 247 78.9%
2018 77.79 54th 331 83.7%
2019 81.69 44th 343 87.2%
2021 65.57 92nd 369 75.1%
2022 71.29 75th 376 80.1%
2023 71.46 78th 370 78.9%
2024 82.88 46th 373 87.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Challenger Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Thursday, February 4, 2010

Open Quote This school deserves to be in the top ten! The teachers are amazing and the students are exceptional! You should check your facts on this school! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Challenger Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1990 357 9 14 7 2 n/a n/a 0 389
1991 426 12 22 10 3 n/a n/a 0 473
1992 432 19 39 12 2 n/a n/a -1 503
1993 477 19 45 12 2 n/a n/a 0 555
1994 524 23 51 13 9 n/a n/a 0 620
1995 583 25 40 14 10 n/a n/a 0 672
1996 583 25 40 14 10 n/a n/a 0 672
1997 575 32 35 8 2 n/a n/a 0 652
1998 558 49 33 9 0 n/a n/a 0 649
1999 570 30 34 10 2 n/a n/a 0 646
2000 576 23 42 11 3 n/a n/a 1 656
2001 573 25 36 15 4 n/a n/a 0 653
2002 558 37 40 11 2 n/a n/a 0 648
2003 558 37 40 11 2 n/a n/a 0 648
2004 541 41 49 11 3 n/a n/a 0 645
2005 540 56 37 15 3 n/a n/a 0 651
2006 507 51 36 16 3 n/a n/a 0 613
2007 482 58 39 14 3 n/a n/a 0 596
2008 419 65 43 10 4 n/a n/a 0 541
2009 430 73 46 12 4 n/a n/a 0 565
2010 431 80 35 17 4 n/a n/a 0 567
2011 422 74 34 15 2 0 1 0 548
2012 405 76 28 20 4 0 3 0 536
2013 365 91 32 17 3 0 8 0 516
2014 361 110 23 17 3 0 12 0 526
2015 348 85 19 21 5 1 33 0 512
2016 301 83 27 42 3 1 12 0 469
2017 293 80 22 35 4 1 13 0 448
2018 287 72 27 33 1 0 19 0 439
2019 325 76 26 43 1 0 30 0 501
2020 326 91 21 52 0 0 37 0 527
2021 294 104 16 43 2 0 34 0 493
2022 268 110 17 56 4 1 0 0 456
2023 228 115 9 49 3 0 34 0 438

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Challenger Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1990 389 24.0 16.2 0
1991 473 27.0 17.5 n/a
1992 503 28.0 17.9 n/a
1993 555 32.0 17.3 n/a
1994 620 37.0 16.8 n/a
1995 672 42.0 16.0 n/a
1996 672 42.0 16.0 n/a
1997 652 41.0 15.9 4.4
1998 649 41.0 15.8 6.2
1999 646 41.0 15.8 6.8
2000 656 43.5 15.1 8.9
2001 653 43.0 15.2 7.5
2002 648 41.0 15.8 12.7
2003 648 41.0 15.8 12.7
2004 645 40.5 15.9 14.4
2005 651 40.3 16.2 17.7
2006 613 39.0 15.7 14.4
2007 596 39.0 15.3 19.1
2008 541 38.3 14.1 12.6
2009 565 36.7 15.2 21.9
2010 567 44.0 12.8 25.2
2011 548 41.7 13.1 27.4
2012 536 37.0 14.4 27.4
2013 516 39.5 13.0 33.1
2014 526 29.0 18.1 39.2
2015 512 30.0 17.0 35.5
2016 469 29.0 16.1 38.4
2017 448 28.0 16.0 37.5
2018 439 24.0 18.2 32.1
2019 501 28.0 17.8 30.3
2020 527 25.0 21.0 28.1
2021 493 25.0 19.7 30.8
2022 456 25.0 18.2 19.3
2023 438 26.0 16.8 43.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Challenger Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1990 389 24.0 16.2 0
1991 473 27.0 17.5 n/a
1992 503 28.0 17.9 n/a
1993 555 32.0 17.3 n/a
1994 620 37.0 16.8 n/a
1995 672 42.0 16.0 n/a
1996 672 42.0 16.0 n/a
1997 652 41.0 15.9 4.4
1998 649 41.0 15.8 6.2
1999 646 41.0 15.8 6.8
2000 656 43.5 15.1 8.9
2001 653 43.0 15.2 7.5
2002 648 41.0 15.8 12.7
2003 648 41.0 15.8 12.7
2004 645 40.5 15.9 14.4
2005 651 40.3 16.2 17.7
2006 613 39.0 15.7 14.4
2007 596 39.0 15.3 19.1
2008 541 38.3 14.1 12.6
2009 565 36.7 15.2 21.9
2010 567 44.0 12.8 25.2
2011 548 41.7 13.1 27.4
2012 536 37.0 14.4 27.4
2013 516 39.5 13.0 33.1
2014 526 29.0 18.1 39.2
2015 512 30.0 17.0 35.5
2016 469 29.0 16.1 38.4
2017 448 28.0 16.0 37.5
2018 439 24.0 18.2 32.1
2019 501 28.0 17.8 30.3
2020 527 25.0 21.0 28.1
2021 493 25.0 19.7 30.8
2022 456 25.0 18.2 19.3
2023 438 26.0 16.8 43.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Challenger Middle School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,270 (14.3%) $7,641 (85.7%) $8,912

Data source: Alabama Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Challenger Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 49th of 437 Middle schoolsRanks 85th of 437 Middle schools
 8.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Challenger Middle School)60.530.7
 29.8%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)40.126.7
 13.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)45.330.8
 14.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Challenger Middle School)48.432.8
 15.6%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)37.722.8
 14.9%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)43.121
 22.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Challenger Middle School)56.420.3
 36.1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Huntsville City)39.818.9
 20.9%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.721.1
 23.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students501438
 12.6%
African American76115
 51.3%
American Indian13
 200%
Asian269
 65.4%
Hispanic4349
 14%
Pacific Islander00
White325228
 29.8%
Two or More Races3034
 13.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients30.3%43.8%
 13.5%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Middle School

Students at Challenger Middle School are 52% White, 26% African American, 11% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Challenger Middle School ranks 61st of 442 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 438 students attended Challenger Middle School.

Students who attend Challenger Middle School usually go on to attend Virgil Grissom High 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 Alabama State 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.





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