Glencoe Middle School, Glencoe AL

Original Research by School Decision on Glencoe Middle School

Glencoe Middle School serves fifth through eighth graders in the small, primarily residential city of Glencoe, part of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area in northeast Alabama. The school is a regular public school within the Etowah County School District. Glencoe itself is a low-density, car-dependent community that emphasizes its residential character, with new housing subdivisions, parks, and golf courses. Housing values have appreciated modestly, and the city has experienced slight population growth. The median household income in the area is below national averages, and a substantial majority of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Academically, the school presents a split picture. On state assessments in English language arts, proficiency rates are relatively strong across all four grade levels, with the bulk of students meeting expectations. This places the school above the midpoint among the county’s districts when overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is compared. Science proficiency, measured only in eighth grade, is also solid, with most students performing at or above the standard. Math tells a different story. Proficiency rates drop steadily from fifth through eighth grade, with the lowest results at the upper end. Across all tested grades, fewer than a quarter of students are proficient in math, and the eighth-grade cohort is notably weaker. A parent considering this school will want to look into math instruction and support, especially for older students, as the decline is sharp.

The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic and Black populations and a modest share identifying as two or more races. Enrollment totals are modest, typical for a middle school serving a small city. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the source materials, and no information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios was provided, so those dimensions remain unexamined here. Because the school serves only grades five through eight, there is no graduation rate to report.

The district context includes an important recent development. In 2022, voters in the Etowah County School District narrowly rejected a proposed property tax increase that would have been the first tax hike in decades and would have funded teacher salary supplements, school resource officers, technology, and capital improvements. The defeat means the district continues to operate on a revenue base unchanged for many years, which may affect its ability to invest in competitive teacher pay and facility upgrades. Separately, the district expanded its career technical education program in 2023, adding new pathways in welding, healthcare science, and information technology at the county’s career technical center. That expansion does not directly affect this middle school, but it does signal a district-level emphasis on workforce-oriented pathways for students once they reach high school.

For families evaluating Glencoe Middle School, the strongest draw is the above-average performance in English language arts and science relative to other district middle schools in Etowah County. The math results are a clear concern, particularly as students get older, and the lack of additional contextual data makes it harder to assess other aspects of the school environment. The community itself is small, quiet, and car-dependent, with outdoor amenities and new housing options. The district’s tight budget constraints are a longer-term consideration, especially if facility or staffing priorities matter to you.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 41% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 33% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 20% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 76% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 67% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 58% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 67% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 43% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

This schoolEtowah 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income90%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income36%15 pp gap