The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Thompson Intermediate School
Thompson Intermediate School serves fourth and fifth graders in Alabaster, a rapidly growing southern suburb of Birmingham. The school is part of the Alabaster City district, which formed its own system after separating from Shelby County Schools several years ago. For a family looking at this school, the context matters: Alabaster has grown substantially in recent decades, shifting from its origins as a mining community into a commuter suburb organized around Highway 31 and Interstate 65. The city’s commercial and civic life centers on the Highway 31 corridor, where a “Main Street Medical Mile” of medical facilities and retail has expanded. A large retail complex called District 31 has been under construction at the corner of Highway 31 and I-65. The housing market in the area reflects this growth. Home values in the zip code covering Thompson Intermediate are above the national median, and rents have been rising. A family moving here should expect a car-dependent suburban environment with limited public transit and no traditional walkable downtown.
Thompson Intermediate enrolls a population of students that is roughly half white, with substantial black and Hispanic shares each making up about a fifth of the student body. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves only two grade levels, fourth and fifth, and it sits within a broader feeder pattern that includes multiple elementary schools feeding into Thompson Intermediate, then Thompson Middle School and Thompson High School.
The most recent state testing results from the Alabama ACAP assessment offer a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school performs well: roughly seven in ten fourth graders and three in four fifth graders scored at the proficient level. In math, the numbers are lower. About half of fourth graders and slightly fewer than half of fifth graders reached proficiency. Science testing is given only in fourth grade in Alabama, and just over half of Thompson Intermediate’s fourth graders scored proficient in that subject. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Shelby County, though the comparison set includes only a small number of districts. The standout area is clearly English language arts, where the school’s results are solid by any measure.
Because Thompson Intermediate covers only fourth and fifth grades, there is no graduation rate to report. That is not a missing data point but simply a reflection of the grade band the school serves. Similarly, some metrics that parents might look for, such as chronic absenteeism rates or detailed staffing ratios, were not available in the data provided. A parent who wants a fuller picture beyond test scores may wish to ask the school directly about class sizes, special education supports, and English learner services.
The school operates as a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, and Title I status was not reported in the available data. No program offerings such as gifted education tracks, arts programs, or career pathways were included in the data. For a fifth grade parent looking ahead, Thompson Intermediate is the last stop before Thompson Middle School, and the quality of the feeder pattern into high school would be a natural follow-up question.
For families weighing this school, the academic picture is one of clear strength in reading and writing, with room for improvement in math. The community context is one of active residential and commercial growth in a car-oriented suburb. The student body is economically diverse, with a majority qualifying for meal assistance, and racially diverse as well. The school’s size is large for a two-grade intermediate school, which may matter to families who prefer smaller settings or who value the range of social opportunities a larger peer group provides. A parent should feel comfortable asking the school for the details that the public data does not cover, particularly around class sizes, enrichment offerings, and how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level in math.
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