The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Anniston Middle School
Anniston Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Anniston City school district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. The middle school is located on McClellan Boulevard, the commercial north-south corridor that runs through Anniston toward the former Fort McClellan site. The city of Anniston, the county seat of Calhoun County, sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and has experienced a long population decline from its mid-twentieth-century peak. Housing in the area is notably affordable, with typical home values well below state and national benchmarks, which may draw families looking for lower-cost living in a regional center that still offers civic institutions like a Smithsonian-affiliated museum and the Chief Ladiga Trail.
The student body at Anniston Middle School is small for a school serving these three grade levels. A very large share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a community with significant economic need. The racial and ethnic composition of the school is predominantly Black, with a much smaller share of white students and small shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races.
State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates in reading and mathematics are low across all three grades. In English language arts, proficiency is below average in the sixth and seventh grades and especially low in the eighth grade. In mathematics, proficiency is low in the sixth grade and extremely low in the seventh and eighth grades. The eighth-grade science proficiency rate is also low. Compared with other schools in the same county, Anniston Middle School's overall performance, calculated as the mean of its proficiency rates across subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile of a five-district comparison set. These results give a clear picture of a school where the vast majority of students are not meeting state benchmarks on these tests.
A parent considering this school should look into how the school approaches academic support. The data only covers one year of results from the state's current assessment, so there is no trend line to show whether performance is stable, improving, or declining. It is also worth noting that the data does not include information on the number of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a family whose child falls into either category would want to ask the school directly about those programs. Information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios is also absent from this record.
Anniston itself has undergone major shifts in recent decades, particularly the closure of Fort McClellan and the repurposing of that land for federal training facilities and a wildlife refuge. The Anniston Army Depot remains a large employer. The city adopted a comprehensive plan in 2022, and its Main Street Alabama designation points to ongoing downtown redevelopment efforts. The district did not return readily available public information on recent curriculum changes, property tax measures, or bond referendums in the period from 2022 through 2025, so a parent may want to check with the Anniston City Board of Education directly about any recent policy shifts.
Anniston Middle School serves a student population with concentrated economic need and academic performance that lags significantly behind other schools in the county. For a family weighing this school, the central questions are about the level of intervention and support the school provides in reading and math, and whether the instructional environment can meet a student who is already performing at or above grade level, given that the majority of tested students are not proficient by state standards.
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