Is Sipsey Valley Middle School a good school?

Sipsey Valley Middle School ranks 236 th of 442 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sipsey Valley Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 556 students attended Sipsey Valley Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Sipsey Valley Middle School?

Students at Sipsey Valley Middle School are 73% White, 17% African American, 8% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Sipsey Valley Middle School attend?

Students who attend Sipsey Valley Middle School usually go on to attend Sipsey Valley High School

Sipsey Valley Middle School

Summary:

Sipsey Valley Middle School is a public middle school located in Buhl, Alabama, serving grades 5-8 with a student population of 556. The school is part of the Tuscaloosa County School District, which is ranked 90 out of 137 districts in Alabama and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sipsey Valley Middle School has a predominantly white student population, with 72.84% of students identifying as white. Academically, the school's performance is generally on par with or slightly above the Tuscaloosa County and Alabama state averages in both mathematics and English, with its strongest performance in 5th grade English. However, the school struggles in 8th grade mathematics, where only 12.95% of students were proficient or better, compared to the Tuscaloosa County average of 12.94% and the Alabama state average of 22.06%. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with higher rankings for Hispanic students and special education students, but lower rankings for white students, African American students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools, Sipsey Valley Middle School generally performs better academically than DavisEmerson Middle School and Duncanville Middle School, but lags behind the higher-performing Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle, which is part of the Tuscaloosa City School District. Sipsey Valley Middle School has also seen significant fluctuations in its free and reduced lunch rates and student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its academic performance and ranking.

Detail:

Public 5-8

15817 Romulus Rd
Buhl, AL 35446-9315

(205) 342-2870

District: Tuscaloosa County

SchoolDigger Rank:
236^th of 442 Alabama Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,233

Students who attend Sipsey Valley Middle School usually attend:

High:

Sipsey Valley High School

Feeder schools for Sipsey Valley Middle School:

Elementary:	Buhl Elementary School
	Myrtlewood Elementary School
	Westwood Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.7

Number of students: 556

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.8%

African American:

17.3%

Hispanic:

7.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 65.3%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Sipsey Valley Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sipsey Valley Middle School ranks worse than 53.4% of middle schools in Alabama. It also ranks 4^th among 7 ranked middle schools in the Tuscaloosa County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 44.55. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72.8%), African American (17.3%), Hispanic (7.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 65.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sipsey Valley Middle School is 20.7. 5 middle schools in the Tuscaloosa County School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Sipsey Valley Middle School employs 26.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sipsey Valley Middle School is $10,233, which is the highest among 8 middle schools in the Tuscaloosa County School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sipsey Valley Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sipsey Valley Middle School 236^th of 442 Alabama public middle schools. (See Sipsey Valley 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:

Tuscaloosa County:

SchoolDigger ranks Tuscaloosa County 90^th of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sipsey Valley Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2012	51.67	240^th	436	45.0%
2013	52.42	251^st	436	42.4%
2014	45.07	250^th	438	42.9%
2015	45.31	225^th	430	47.7%
2016	57.46	166^th	432	61.6%
2017	61.50	142^nd	432	67.1%
2018	62.08	145^th	423	65.7%
2019	62.04	144^th	437	67.0%
2021	58.48	152^nd	440	65.5%
2022	47.66	213^th	432	50.7%
2023	51.64	197^th	437	54.9%
2024	44.55	236^th	442	46.6%

See the entire list of Alabama Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	48.53	79^th	195	59.5%
2018	68.22	39^th	223	82.5%
2019	51.32	101^st	254	60.2%
2021	65.51	44^th	274	83.9%
2022	61.81	53^rd	256	79.3%
2023	49.83	106^th	281	62.3%
2024	38.53	158^th	281	43.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	47.29	179^th	349	48.7%
2018	55.20	174^th	396	56.1%
2019	53.36	175^th	396	55.8%
2021	44.81	218^th	415	47.5%
2022	43.59	231^st	421	45.1%
2023	64.99	106^th	410	74.1%
2024	35.01	291^st	437	33.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	57.61	145^th	380	61.8%
2018	60.45	144^th	392	63.3%
2019	58.16	153^rd	399	61.7%
2021	55.79	164^th	415	60.5%
2022	48.20	212^th	423	49.9%
2023	52.20	188^th	417	54.9%
2024	49.56	199^th	426	53.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	62.73	117^th	380	69.2%
2018	61.70	130^th	397	67.3%
2019	62.76	126^th	399	68.4%
2021	58.41	143^rd	418	65.8%
2022	44.59	222^nd	427	48.0%
2023	48.69	206^th	419	50.8%
2024	37.52	266^th	428	37.9%

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

Rank History for African American students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	49.52	77^th	205	62.4%
2018	63.93	61^st	247	75.3%
2019	61.50	63^rd	252	75.0%
2021	55.26	85^th	266	68.0%
2022	40.13	139^th	271	48.7%
2023	41.10	132^nd	263	49.8%
2024	37.39	151^st	269	43.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2021	39.79	88^th	154	42.9%
2023	52.74	70^th	166	57.8%
2024	43.25	79^th	164	51.8%

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

Rank History for Native American students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	43.94	29^th	56	48.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AL State Percentile
2017	48.47	97^th	247	60.7%
2018	50.60	151^st	331	54.4%
2019	53.64	131^st	343	61.8%
2021	52.67	139^th	369	62.3%
2022	41.71	196^th	376	47.9%
2023	45.18	187^th	370	49.5%
2024	37.21	236^th	373	36.7%

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.

Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sipsey Valley Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	291	105	1	13	3	0	0	413
2012	293	81	0	14	0	0	1	389
2013	278	80	1	15	0	0	3	377
2014	296	74	2	10	1	0	6	389
2015	287	81	2	15	2	0	10	397
2016	285	67	2	10	1	0	11	376
2017	282	72	1	16	1	0	8	380
2018	278	64	1	21	1	0	6	371
2019	279	68	1	32	1	0	0	381
2020	388	106	1	43	2	0	3	543
2021	379	94	1	42	2	0	4	522
2022	402	107	1	36	2	0	4	552
2023	405	96	1	43	3	1	7	556

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 Sipsey Valley Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	413	27.6	14.9	53.8
2012	389	26.1	14.9	53.2
2013	377	28.4	13.2	54.4
2014	389	18.4	21.1	52.4
2015	397	17.0	23.3	54.4
2016	376	18.0	20.8	48.1
2017	380	18.7	20.3	52.1
2018	371	18.2	20.3	49.9
2019	381	18.2	20.9	45.7
2020	543	24.8	21.8	54.1
2021	522	26.8	19.4	55.6
2022	552	23.0	24.0	35
2023	556	26.8	20.7	65.3

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 Sipsey Valley Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	413	27.6	14.9	53.8
2012	389	26.1	14.9	53.2
2013	377	28.4	13.2	54.4
2014	389	18.4	21.1	52.4
2015	397	17.0	23.3	54.4
2016	376	18.0	20.8	48.1
2017	380	18.7	20.3	52.1
2018	371	18.2	20.3	49.9
2019	381	18.2	20.9	45.7
2020	543	24.8	21.8	54.1
2021	522	26.8	19.4	55.6
2022	552	23.0	24.0	35
2023	556	26.8	20.7	65.3

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 Sipsey Valley Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$632 (6.2%)	$7,231 (70.7%)	$10,233

Data source: Alabama Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sipsey Valley 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 144^th of 437 Middle schools	Ranks 197^th of 437 Middle schools	12.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Sipsey Valley Middle School)	34.4	26.1	8.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Tuscaloosa County)	39.3	22.9	16.5%
6th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	45.3	30.8	14.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Sipsey Valley Middle School)	56.3	17.9	38.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Tuscaloosa County)	41.7	15.4	26.3%
7th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)	43.1	21	22.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Sipsey Valley Middle School)	54.9	12.9	42%
8th Grade Mathematics (Tuscaloosa County)	43	12.9	30.1%
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	381	556	45.9%
African American	68	96	41.2%
American Indian	1	3	200%
Asian	1	1
Hispanic	32	43	34.4%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	279	405	45.2%
Two or More Races	0	7
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	45.7%	65.3%	19.6%

Schools Near Sipsey Valley Middle School

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 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th 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
Sipsey Valley Middle School	Public	5-8	15817 Romulus Rd	Buhl	35446	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2870	556	27	20.7	65.3%	405 (72.8%)	96 (17.3%)	43 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	44.6	236^th of 442 public middle schools	46.6%		51.6	197^th of 437 public middle schools	54.9%	39	33.9	29.4	21.1	13.0	38.9	57.3	40.4	50.4	40.6	$10,233	$632	$7,231
Westlawn Middle School	Public	6-8	1715 Martin L King Jr Blvd	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3673	534	31	17.5	92.7%	7 (1.3%)	487 (91.2%)	36 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12.8	391^st of 442 public middle schools	11.5%		8.4	421^st of 437 public middle schools	3.7%	30		12.8	1.8	3.5	10.3		29.9	29.0	19.1	$13,988	$3,689	$10,279
Echols Middle School	Public	7-8	2701 Echols Ave	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2884	878	42	20.8	64.1%	416 (47.4%)	275 (31.3%)	169 (19.2%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.0%)	46.2	230^th of 442 public middle schools	48.0%		47.2	222^nd of 437 public middle schools	49.2%	8			17.3	14.5	38.9			46.5	46.8	$6,871	$719	$6,063
CollinsRiverside Middle School	Public	5-6	1400 3rd St	Northport	35476	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2680	334	17	19.3	88.3%	85 (25.4%)	146 (43.7%)	89 (26.6%)	6 (1.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.5%)								(n/a)	25.5	19.4				54.4	37.7			$8,444	$849	$7,571
Northport Intermediate School	Public	5-6	13688 Frankie Thomas Trace	Northport	35475	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2690	439	24	18.2	48.3%	303 (69.0%)	67 (15.3%)	62 (14.1%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)								(n/a)	46.4	31.8				73.7	58.6
Hillcrest Middle School	Public	6-8	401 Hillcrest School Rd	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	No	(205) 342-2820	576	31	18.5	75.0%	118 (20.5%)	409 (71.0%)	23 (4.0%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.8%)	26.4	334^th of 442 public middle schools	24.4%		32.1	307^th of 437 public middle schools	29.7%	27		13.9	11.9	10.9	22.4		39.5	36.7	37.0	$8,185	$843	$7,319
Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	315 Mcfarland Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	No	(205) 759-3653	169	10	16.4	29.0%	57 (33.7%)	95 (56.2%)	2 (1.2%)	14 (8.3%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98.3	4^th of 442 public middle schools	99.1%		96.2	12^th of 437 public middle schools	97.3%	8		84.8	47.3	60.4	82.4		91.5	80.0	88.5	$12,744	$57	$12,668
Northridge Middle School	Public	6-8	3811 Northridge Road	Tuscaloosa	35406	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	No	(205) 759-3578	740	47	15.7	39.3%	372 (50.3%)	274 (37.0%)	54 (7.3%)	28 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	73.3	87^th of 442 public middle schools	80.3%		79.1	65^th of 437 public middle schools	85.1%	22		39.6	36.9	28.9	50.8		56.8	59.3	57.7	$9,554	$693	$8,841
Hale County Middle School	Public	6-8	120 Wildcat Way	Moundville	35474	Hale County	Hale County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 371-7000	269	14	19.2	62.1%	119 (44.2%)	136 (50.6%)	11 (4.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	48.4	217^th of 442 public middle schools	50.9%		31.6	312^th of 437 public middle schools	28.6%	95		24.7	13.3	17.2	29.9		47.2	57.8	57.5	$8,124	$992	$7,108
DavisEmerson Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Bulldog Blvd	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2750	392	22	17.8	95.9%	98 (25.0%)	192 (49.0%)	96 (24.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	24.8	338^th of 442 public middle schools	23.5%		26.6	334^th of 437 public middle schools	23.6%	4		12.6	5.5	6.0	24.4		33.6	37.5	45.6	$9,532	$2,028	$7,480

Sipsey Valley Middle School

Sipsey Valley Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Tuscaloosa County:

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Rank History for Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for all students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for African American students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for Native American students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rank History for White students at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Enrollment information for Sipsey Valley Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sipsey Valley Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Sipsey Valley Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sipsey Valley Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Sipsey Valley Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Sipsey Valley Middle School

Frequently Asked Questions about Sipsey Valley Middle School

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