Is Helena Middle a good school?

Helena Middle ranks 88 th of 442 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Helena Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 988 students attended Helena Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Helena Middle?

Students at Helena Middle are 70% White, 16% African American, 9% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Helena Middle attend?

Students who attend Helena Middle usually go on to attend Helena High School

Helena Middle

Summary:

Helena Middle is a public middle school located in Helena, Alabama, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,035 students. The school is part of the Shelby County School District, which is ranked 31 out of 137 districts in Alabama and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Helena Middle has consistently ranked in the top 20% of Alabama middle schools, with strong academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA). In 2023-2024, 64.12% of 6th graders, 63.75% of 7th graders, and 54.63% of 8th graders scored proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 53.32%, 51.27%, and 51.42%, respectively. However, the school's mathematics performance is more mixed, with 6th and 7th graders scoring above the state and district averages, but 8th graders scoring below. The school's performance on science assessments for 8th grade is also above the state and district averages.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Oak Mountain Middle and Pizitz Middle, Helena Middle generally performs well, particularly in ELA and science. However, its mathematics performance is more mixed, with some nearby schools outperforming Helena Middle in this subject area. The school's relatively homogeneous student population and lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students may contribute to its success, but the school could benefit from further analysis and targeted interventions to address the performance gaps observed among its subgroups, especially in mathematics.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1299 Hillsboro Parkway
Helena, AL 35080

(205) 682-5300

District: Shelby County

SchoolDigger Rank:
88^th of 442 Alabama Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,076

Students who attend Helena Middle usually attend:

High:

Helena High School

Feeder schools for Helena Middle:

Elementary:	Helena Elementary School
	Helena Intermediate School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.2

Number of students: 988

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.6%

African American:

15.7%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 30.4%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Helena Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Helena Middle ranks better than 80.1% of middle schools in Alabama. It also ranks 3^rd among 6 ranked middle schools in the Shelby County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 73.07. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (69.6%), African American (15.7%), Hispanic (9.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 30.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Helena Middle is 18.2. 4 middle schools in the Shelby County School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Helena Middle employs 54 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Helena Middle is $8,076. 4 middle schools in the Shelby County School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Helena Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Helena Middle 88^th of 442 Alabama public middle schools. (See Helena Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Shelby County:

SchoolDigger ranks Shelby County 31^st of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Helena Middle

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Rank History for all students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2009	84.02	38^th	425	91.1%
2010	79.39	66^th	435	84.8%
2011	79.97	52^nd	435	88.0%
2012	85.10	30^th	436	93.1%
2013	79.64	45^th	436	89.7%
2014	87.48	36^th	438	91.8%
2015	92.93	25^th	430	94.2%
2016	89.79	33^rd	432	92.4%
2017	87.30	36^th	432	91.7%
2018	84.35	50^th	423	88.2%
2019	88.81	33^rd	437	92.4%
2021	74.10	73^rd	440	83.4%
2022	73.46	76^th	432	82.4%
2023	72.34	90^th	437	79.4%
2024	73.07	88^th	442	80.1%

See the entire list of Alabama Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2021	55.44	24^th	61	60.7%
2023	26.15	57^th	72	20.8%
2024	38.13	44^th	78	43.6%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2021	91.85	2^nd	70	97.1%
2022	52.34	24^th	81	70.4%
2024	36.80	66^th	106	37.7%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	74.92	18^th	195	90.8%
2018	76.74	28^th	223	87.4%
2019	80.54	19^th	254	92.5%
2021	75.24	24^th	274	91.2%
2022	58.39	70^th	256	72.7%
2023	71.55	39^th	281	86.1%
2024	76.69	34^th	281	87.9%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	76.74	45^th	349	87.1%
2018	79.58	45^th	396	88.6%
2019	78.62	44^th	396	88.9%
2021	67.22	96^th	415	76.9%
2022	56.51	154^th	421	63.4%
2023	57.17	143^rd	410	65.1%
2024	62.64	125^th	437	71.4%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	83.84	40^th	380	89.5%
2018	78.10	62^nd	392	84.2%
2019	86.15	37^th	399	90.7%
2021	71.18	77^th	415	81.4%
2022	70.38	87^th	423	79.4%
2023	72.00	88^th	417	78.9%
2024	71.07	93^rd	426	78.2%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2018	38.55	10^th	18	44.4%
2019	42.92	12^th	19	36.8%
2021	32.62	22^nd	29	24.1%
2022	36.00	17^th	26	34.6%
2023	41.40	16^th	26	38.5%
2024	25.33	25^th	32	21.9%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	86.89	30^th	380	92.1%
2018	87.30	31^st	397	92.2%
2019	88.35	32^nd	399	92.0%
2021	73.96	75^th	418	82.1%
2022	73.38	78^th	427	81.7%
2023	69.56	96^th	419	77.1%
2024	71.54	91^st	428	78.7%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	89.80	13^th	205	93.7%
2018	79.88	32^nd	247	87.0%
2019	81.23	28^th	252	88.9%
2021	70.10	53^rd	266	80.1%
2022	76.86	41^st	271	84.9%
2023	74.78	44^th	263	83.3%
2024	68.91	52^nd	269	80.7%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	82.31	13^th	108	88.0%
2018	89.50	7^th	113	93.8%
2019	80.71	13^th	124	89.5%
2021	60.59	48^th	154	68.8%
2022	57.32	59^th	157	62.4%
2023	60.91	52^nd	166	68.7%
2024	49.51	58^th	164	64.6%

See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Helena Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	74.17	46^th	247	81.4%
2018	75.18	61^st	331	81.6%
2019	84.43	37^th	343	89.2%
2021	65.96	90^th	369	75.6%
2022	63.91	107^th	376	71.5%
2023	63.19	99^th	370	73.2%
2024	63.88	100^th	373	73.2%

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.

Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Helena Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2008	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	0
2009	575	84	10	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	698
2010	590	79	10	32	3	n/a	n/a	7	721
2011	636	100	9	36	2	0	3	0	786
2012	677	97	12	38	7	0	2	0	833
2013	707	107	14	35	6	0	1	0	870
2014	719	110	16	31	4	0	7	0	887
2015	744	127	24	37	2	2	15	0	951
2016	760	116	25	40	1	1	21	0	964
2017	791	123	23	48	0	1	18	0	1004
2018	810	113	13	48	2	1	22	0	1009
2019	778	119	14	65	2	0	28	0	1006
2020	799	128	9	79	2	1	30	0	1048
2021	780	134	14	80	3	1	27	0	1039
2022	776	163	16	84	3	1	30	0	1073
2023	743	160	20	79	3	1	29	0	1035
2024	688	155	16	92	3	2	32	0	988

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 Helena Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	0	0.0	0.0	n/a
2009	698	40.1	17.2	14.6
2010	721	49.5	14.5	17.8
2011	786	49.0	16.0	20.1
2012	833	52.5	15.8	19.7
2013	870	55.0	15.8	16.1
2014	887	43.2	20.5	16.8
2015	951	44.0	21.6	18
2016	964	46.0	20.9	17.7
2017	1004	47.5	21.1	19.4
2018	1009	48.5	20.8	19.5
2019	1006	47.5	21.1	19.1
2020	1048	50.0	20.9	20.9
2021	1039	53.0	19.6	18.9
2022	1073	46.0	23.3	19.2
2023	1035	54.0	19.1	29.6
2024	988	54.0	18.2	30.4

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 Helena Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	0	0.0	0.0	n/a
2009	698	40.1	17.2	14.6
2010	721	49.5	14.5	17.8
2011	786	49.0	16.0	20.1
2012	833	52.5	15.8	19.7
2013	870	55.0	15.8	16.1
2014	887	43.2	20.5	16.8
2015	951	44.0	21.6	18
2016	964	46.0	20.9	17.7
2017	1004	47.5	21.1	19.4
2018	1009	48.5	20.8	19.5
2019	1006	47.5	21.1	19.1
2020	1048	50.0	20.9	20.9
2021	1039	53.0	19.6	18.9
2022	1073	46.0	23.3	19.2
2023	1035	54.0	19.1	29.6
2024	988	54.0	18.2	30.4

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 Helena Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$681 (8.4%)	$7,376 (91.3%)	$8,076

Data source: Alabama Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Helena Middle

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 33^rd of 437 Middle schools	Ranks 90^th of 437 Middle schools	13%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Helena Middle)	65.2	27	38.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Shelby County)	57.8	37	20.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	45.3	30.8	14.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Helena Middle)	60.4	22	38.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Shelby County)	57.5	30.3	27.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	43.1	21	22.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Helena Middle)	66.9	29	37.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Shelby County)	60.5	32.7	27.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	44.7	21.1	23.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1006	1035	2.9%
African American	119	160	34.5%
American Indian	2	3	50%
Asian	14	20	42.9%
Hispanic	65	79	21.5%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	778	743	4.5%
Two or More Races	28	29	3.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	19.1%	29.6%	10.5%

Schools Near Helena Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2024)			Summative Assessment Science (2024)	Summative Assessment English (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Helena Middle	Public	6-8	1299 Hillsboro Parkway	Helena	35080	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5300	988	54	18.2	30.4%	688 (69.6%)	155 (15.7%)	92 (9.3%)	16 (1.6%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	32 (3.2%)	73.1	88^th of 442 public middle schools	80.1%		72.3	90^th of 437 public middle schools	79.4%	2	35.5	37.7	27.2	46.8	64.1	63.8	54.6	$8,076	$681	$7,376
Robert F Bumpus Middle School	Public	6-8	6055 Flemming Parkway	Hoover	35244	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	No	(205) 439-2200	1,164	75	15.4	22.1%	609 (52.3%)	295 (25.3%)	61 (5.2%)	136 (11.7%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	58 (5.0%)	97.1	10^th of 442 public middle schools	97.7%		97.8	5^th of 437 public middle schools	98.9%	5	63.3	60.9	55.3	70.2	82.0	82.5	81.2	$11,153	$612	$10,539
Pelham Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2016 Pelham Park Boulevard	Pelham	35124	Shelby County	Pelham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 624-3702	833	46	18.3	50.4%	377 (45.3%)	142 (17.0%)	233 (28.0%)	30 (3.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (5.5%)	65.6	121^st of 442 public middle schools	72.6%		68.9	108^th of 437 public middle schools	75.3%	13	38.4	23.9	23.9	43.2	57.8	56.4	58.9
Thompson Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Warrior Drive	Alabaster	35007	Shelby County	Alabaster City	No	No	No	No	(205) 685-8100	1,424	83	17.2	53.0%	720 (50.6%)	324 (22.8%)	343 (24.1%)	11 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (1.7%)	75.9	78^th of 442 public middle schools	82.4%		76.3	74^th of 437 public middle schools	83.1%	4	42.5	30.2	29.3	58.8	62.5	60.4	58.8	$10,052	$1,307	$8,732
Ira F Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	1575 Patton Chapel Road	Hoover	35226	Jefferson County	Hoover City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 439-2100	865	63	13.7	45.9%	448 (51.8%)	247 (28.6%)	114 (13.2%)	21 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.8%)	92.2	31^st of 442 public middle schools	93.0%		92.2	29^th of 437 public middle schools	93.4%	2	55.2	50.5	44.1	58.8	75.8	75.4	71.0	$12,051	$881	$11,168
McAdory Middle School	Public	6-8	5450 Yellow Jacket Boulevard	Mc Calla	35111	Jefferson County	Jefferson County	No	No	No	No	(205) 379-4730	857	42	20.4	74.3%	151 (17.6%)	531 (62.0%)	154 (18.0%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.9%)	30.9	318^th of 442 public middle schools	28.1%		26.9	333^rd of 437 public middle schools	23.8%	15	6.3	9.6	9.5	29.1	39.0	44.8	47.4	$8,010	$1,145	$6,851
Bessemer City Middle School	Public	6-8	100 High School Drive	Bessemer	35022	Jefferson County	Bessemer City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 432-3601	648	31	20.9	88.3%	8 (1.2%)	485 (74.8%)	129 (19.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.7%)	8.7	425^th of 442 public middle schools	3.8%		9.9	411^th of 437 public middle schools	5.9%	14	0.8	2.9	2.2	8.2	26.5	17.2	17.1	$8,921	$1,718	$7,187
Calera Middle	Public	6-8	9178 Highway 22	Montevallo	35115	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-6140	760	47	16.3	63.2%	300 (39.5%)	319 (42.0%)	96 (12.6%)	8 (1.1%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (4.1%)	51.8	198^th of 442 public middle schools	55.2%		34	294^th of 437 public middle schools	32.7%	96	25.6	24.2	17.7	36.9	48.7	49.8	53.8	$8,564	$701	$7,844
Pizitz Middle School	Public	6-8	2826 Columbiana Road	Vestavia	35216	Jefferson County	Vestavia Hills City	No	No	No	No	(205) 402-5350	1,133	76	14.9	11.9%	936 (82.6%)	59 (5.2%)	37 (3.3%)	86 (7.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.2%)	99.1	1^st of 442 public middle schools	99.8%		99.1	2^nd of 437 public middle schools	99.5%	1	77.9	61.5	75.1	82.9	91.4	88.1	87.1	$10,929	$585	$10,343
Oak Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	5650 Cahaba Valley Rd	Birmingham	35242	Shelby County	Shelby County	No	No	No	No	(205) 682-5210	1,194	61	19.5	25.9%	865 (72.4%)	132 (11.1%)	104 (8.7%)	62 (5.2%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	22 (1.8%)	84.5	52^nd of 442 public middle schools	88.2%		94.1	21^st of 437 public middle schools	95.2%	31	55.5	43.4	22.7	62.2	76.8	70.4	60.8	$8,399	$658	$7,724

Helena Middle

Helena Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Shelby County:

What do you think?

Rank History for Helena Middle

Rank History for all students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Helena Middle

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Special Education students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Female students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Military Connected students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Male students at Helena Middle

Rank History for African American students at Helena Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Helena Middle

Rank History for White students at Helena Middle

Enrollment information for Helena Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Helena Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Helena Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Helena Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Helena Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Helena Middle

Frequently Asked Questions about Helena Middle

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