James T Alton Middle School

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 666 students. The school is part of the Hardin County School District, which is ranked 90 out of 159 districts in Kentucky and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overall, James T Alton Middle School faces significant academic challenges, with performance consistently ranking in the middle to lower range of Kentucky middle schools over the past several years. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments (KSA) are generally below the Hardin County and Kentucky state averages, particularly in science. However, the school performs better in reading, with proficiency rates closer to the district and state averages. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with African American and multi-racial students performing relatively well, while female students and students with low socioeconomic status have struggled.

Comparing James T Alton Middle School to nearby schools, such as West Hardin Middle School and East Hardin Middle School, reveals that these nearby schools have consistently outperformed James T Alton Middle School on state assessments and in overall statewide rankings. Additionally, the school's relatively higher per-student spending and slightly higher student-teacher ratio compared to some nearby schools suggest that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes, and further analysis of staffing and resource allocation may be warranted.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 100 Country Club Rd
       Vine Grove, KY  40175


(270) 877-2135

District: Hardin County

SchoolDigger Rank:
189th of 324 Kentucky Middle Schools


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

Student/teacher ratio:  17.4 Help
Number of students:  666

Racial breakdown:

White:
61.4%
African American:
13.2%
Two or more races:
12.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  45.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details James T Alton Middle School ranks worse than 58.3% of middle schools in Kentucky. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.6. (See more...)
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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.
Finance
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James T Alton Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks James T Alton Middle School 189th of 324 Kentucky public middle schools. (See James T Alton Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Hardin County:

SchoolDigger ranks Hardin County 90th of 159 Kentucky school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for James T Alton Middle School?

Rank History for James T Alton Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2007 53.90 126th 284 55.6%
2008 35.80 198th 287 31.0%
2009 38.28 198th 289 31.5%
2010 44.25 175th 299 41.5%
2011 59.16 124th 304 59.2%
2012 44.85 183rd 319 42.6%
2013 54.36 141st 335 57.9%
2014 48.78 173rd 335 48.4%
2015 47.76 176th 337 47.8%
2016 48.28 172nd 331 48.0%
2017 36.91 222nd 330 32.7%
2018 52.63 141st 322 56.2%
2019 46.40 180th 335 46.3%
2021 51.73 102nd 282 63.8%
2022 55.12 122nd 320 61.9%
2023 55.25 136th 327 58.4%
2024 40.60 189th 324 41.7%
See the entire list of Kentucky Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 77.18 10th 85 88.2%
2019 49.54 51st 87 41.4%
2021 57.01 1st 4 75.0%
2022 66.19 19th 98 80.6%
2023 63.77 24th 95 74.7%
2024 48.34 43rd 99 56.6%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 45.79 164th 294 44.2%
2023 54.97 39th 124 68.5%
2024 53.81 38th 130 70.8%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.45 167th 285 41.4%
2019 43.68 175th 303 42.2%
2021 48.17 96th 224 57.1%
2022 54.56 113th 310 63.5%
2023 47.14 152nd 309 50.8%
2024 36.13 205th 311 34.1%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.57 173rd 290 40.3%
2019 40.31 197th 299 34.1%
2021 52.09 85th 233 63.5%
2022 49.76 129th 299 56.9%
2023 48.26 139th 295 52.9%
2024 29.08 223rd 300 25.7%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.28 91st 219 58.4%
2019 46.63 89th 226 60.6%
2022 30.77 76th 111 31.5%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.16 33rd 63 47.6%
2019 62.20 19th 62 69.4%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.32 2nd 2 0.0%
2019 44.63 3rd 3 0.0%
2021 39.62 1st 1 0.0%
2022 39.34 5th 5 0.0%
2023 35.23 5th 6 16.7%
2024 46.31 3rd 5 40.0%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.18 113th 293 61.4%
2019 47.53 155th 303 48.8%
2021 49.97 95th 222 57.2%
2022 54.69 108th 304 64.5%
2023 62.90 94th 307 69.4%
2024 48.47 141st 304 53.6%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.73 23rd 96 76.0%
2019 51.13 41st 96 57.3%
2022 57.98 30th 84 64.3%
2023 70.97 20th 79 74.7%
2024 46.58 47th 80 41.3%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.35 69th 116 40.5%
2019 49.33 59th 120 50.8%
2022 49.03 56th 120 53.3%
2023 55.44 45th 119 62.2%
2024 57.31 42nd 123 65.9%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at James T Alton Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools KY State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 51.67 117th 253 53.8%
2019 48.88 134th 266 49.6%
2021 49.96 88th 213 58.7%
2022 54.58 123rd 314 60.8%
2023 61.06 101st 320 68.4%
2024 43.85 170th 316 46.2%
See the entire list of Best Kentucky Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Kentucky 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.

James T Alton Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Kentucky Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)
0%

33%

0%

0%

67%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Sunday, August 4, 2019

Open Quote 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

Open Quote 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



Enrollment information for James T Alton Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 590 45 15 11 4 n/a n/a 0 665
1989 676 42 16 15 8 n/a n/a 0 757
1990 703 43 15 12 6 n/a n/a 0 779
1991 515 46 19 5 1 n/a n/a 0 586
1992 498 50 18 6 4 n/a n/a 0 576
1993 701 91 28 24 9 n/a n/a 0 853
1994 730 104 38 28 3 n/a n/a 0 903
1995 583 110 27 15 5 n/a n/a 0 740
1996 583 110 27 15 5 n/a n/a 0 740
1997 567 112 28 21 8 n/a n/a 0 736
1998 571 115 17 19 1 n/a n/a 6 729
1999 548 118 14 22 2 n/a n/a 9 713
2000 557 107 15 23 2 n/a n/a 10 714
2001 520 100 17 20 2 n/a n/a 8 667
2002 526 115 20 22 5 n/a n/a 0 688
2003 526 115 20 22 5 n/a n/a 0 688
2004 541 115 14 21 5 n/a n/a 0 696
2005 516 111 10 24 7 n/a n/a 0 668
2006 507 109 9 27 5 n/a n/a 0 657
2007 464 103 13 32 4 n/a n/a 16 632
2008 468 117 10 28 2 n/a n/a 27 652
2009 473 115 21 29 4 n/a n/a 31 673
2010 454 124 22 23 3 n/a n/a 37 663
2011 445 119 13 48 2 4 46 0 677
2012 465 122 13 39 2 5 30 0 676
2013 460 124 17 50 2 12 29 0 694
2014 441 123 13 58 1 10 37 0 683
2015 442 112 12 42 0 14 49 0 671
2016 441 107 12 47 1 8 47 0 663
2017 418 114 17 54 1 6 51 0 661
2018 412 102 13 63 2 8 54 0 654
2019 443 121 10 74 2 5 61 0 716
2020 458 105 7 71 2 4 77 0 724
2021 471 108 11 62 0 5 90 0 747
2022 418 96 8 56 0 6 87 0 671
2023 409 88 11 68 1 8 81 0 666

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 James T Alton Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 665 34.0 19.5 n/a
1989 757 38.0 19.9 n/a
1990 779 41.9 18.5 n/a
1991 586 33.0 17.7 n/a
1992 576 45.4 12.6 n/a
1993 853 43.6 19.6 n/a
1994 903 49.1 18.4 n/a
1995 740 43.4 17.1 n/a
1996 740 43.4 17.1 n/a
1997 736 43.4 17.0 24.7
1998 729 43.8 16.6 23.7
1999 713 43.1 16.5 38.9
2000 714 40.2 17.8 36.6
2001 667 42.4 15.7 36.7
2002 688 39.5 17.4 56.8
2003 688 39.5 17.4 56.8
2004 696 39.0 17.8 n/a
2005 668 40.0 16.7 n/a
2006 657 38.0 17.3 39.4
2007 632 38.0 16.6 42.2
2008 652 39.0 16.7 32.2
2009 673 38.0 17.7 46.3
2010 663 29.0 22.8 48.2
2011 677 40.7 16.6 41.2
2012 676 45.8 14.7 43.6
2013 694 46.0 15.0 45.8
2014 683 41.1 16.5 49
2015 671 14.0 47.9 49.5
2016 663 39.0 17.0 54.6
2017 661 37.3 17.6 51.3
2018 654 35.8 18.2 54.4
2019 716 35.6 20.1 58.2
2020 724 38.7 18.6 51
2021 747 40.6 18.3 45.5
2022 671 40.7 16.4 36.7
2023 666 38.2 17.4 45.9

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 James T Alton Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 665 34.0 19.5 n/a
1989 757 38.0 19.9 n/a
1990 779 41.9 18.5 n/a
1991 586 33.0 17.7 n/a
1992 576 45.4 12.6 n/a
1993 853 43.6 19.6 n/a
1994 903 49.1 18.4 n/a
1995 740 43.4 17.1 n/a
1996 740 43.4 17.1 n/a
1997 736 43.4 17.0 24.7
1998 729 43.8 16.6 23.7
1999 713 43.1 16.5 38.9
2000 714 40.2 17.8 36.6
2001 667 42.4 15.7 36.7
2002 688 39.5 17.4 56.8
2003 688 39.5 17.4 56.8
2004 696 39.0 17.8 n/a
2005 668 40.0 16.7 n/a
2006 657 38.0 17.3 39.4
2007 632 38.0 16.6 42.2
2008 652 39.0 16.7 32.2
2009 673 38.0 17.7 46.3
2010 663 29.0 22.8 48.2
2011 677 40.7 16.6 41.2
2012 676 45.8 14.7 43.6
2013 694 46.0 15.0 45.8
2014 683 41.1 16.5 49
2015 671 14.0 47.9 49.5
2016 663 39.0 17.0 54.6
2017 661 37.3 17.6 51.3
2018 654 35.8 18.2 54.4
2019 716 35.6 20.1 58.2
2020 724 38.7 18.6 51
2021 747 40.6 18.3 45.5
2022 671 40.7 16.4 36.7
2023 666 38.2 17.4 45.9

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 James T Alton Middle School

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018 $594 (3.5%) $148 (0.9%) $649 (3.8%) $14,840 (86.8%) $2,069 (12.1%) $15,908 (93.1%) $17,090
2019 $628 (3.3%) $198 (1.0%) $767 (4.0%) $17,057 (89.0%) $2,939 (15.3%) $18,944 (98.9%) $19,159
2020 $758 (4.1%) $259 (1.4%) $1,017 (5.5%) $14,837 (80.3%) $2,620 (14.2%) $17,461 (94.5%) $18,478
2021 $962 (4.9%) $718 (3.7%) $1,610 (8.2%) $17,439 (89.3%) $3,056 (15.7%) $19,156 (98.1%) $19,518
2022 $1,444 (6.6%) $875 (4.0%) $2,323 (10.6%) $16,515 (75.4%) $3,063 (14.0%) $19,578 (89.4%) $21,901

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

Impact of COVID-19 on James T Alton 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 180th of 335 Middle schoolsRanks 136th of 327 Middle schools
 12.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students716666
 7%
African American12188
 27.3%
American Indian21
 50%
Asian1011
 10%
Hispanic7468
 8.1%
Pacific Islander58
 60%
White443409
 7.7%
Two or More Races6181
 32.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients58.2%45.9%
 12.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about James T Alton Middle School

James T Alton Middle School ranks 189th of 324 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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

In the 2022-23 school year, 666 students attended James T Alton Middle School.

Students at James T Alton Middle School are 61% White, 13% African American, 12% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.


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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.





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