Crossville Middle School, Crossville AL

Original Research by School Decision on Crossville Middle School

Crossville Middle School serves grades four through eight as a regular public school in the small town of Crossville, Alabama, part of the DeKalb County district. With an enrollment that is large for a middle school in a rural setting, the student body is predominantly Hispanic, followed by White students and small shares of other racial and ethnic groups. A very substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context that often carries additional academic challenges.

State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science that are low. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards is in the low single digits in the upper grades and remains below a quarter even in the best-performing grade. English language arts results are somewhat higher: around two-fifths of fifth graders reached proficiency, but the rate drops for every other grade, with several falling below a third of students. Science proficiency is also low, with about one in six fourth graders and a smaller share of eighth graders meeting the standard. Only a single year of testing data is available for this school, so no trend can be assessed. When compared with other districts in DeKalb County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile, a signal that academic performance here is significantly below the county average. Families considering this school will want to investigate what academic interventions, tutoring, or extended learning opportunities are available to support students who are behind grade level.

The school itself draws from Crossville, a small town on Sand Mountain that residents describe as a close-knit farming community with a suburban-rural feel. The town’s population has been essentially flat and is projected to continue declining slowly. Housing values are modest, with the median home price below the state average and recent year-over-year change slightly negative. The built environment is car-dependent, with no pedestrian district and a sparse commercial strip of a few gas stations, a grocery store, and a Dollar General. Schools and civic buildings cluster along the main highway, but there is no separate campus feel; the middle school sits within the town’s fabric. Employment for residents is concentrated in health care, manufacturing, and education, though many workers commute out of town. No major new housing developments were identified, and the town’s growth outlook is flat.

The school is part of DeKalb County Schools. No recent parent-relevant changes such as budget shifts, curriculum overhauls, or facility plans were found in published sources, so the district’s direction appears stable, at least in terms of publicly visible initiatives.

For a parent or resident evaluating this school, the core picture is of a high-poverty middle school where academic proficiency is low across all tested subjects and grades. The school’s peer environment reflects the community’s demographics and economic realities. Families who value strong academic outcomes may find that the school’s current results require close attention to whether adequate support structures are in place. Those already in the community will likely want to engage directly with the school about its academic improvement efforts, intervention programs, and any specialized services for students who are struggling. The town itself offers a quiet, small-town setting with limited amenities and a stable but not growing population, which may suit families seeking a slower pace but may present fewer outside enrichment options.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 36% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 38% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 34% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 73%

School 3% · District 16% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 15% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 53% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 65% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 50% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 49% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 49% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Science

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 33% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 33% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolDeKalb County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.