Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School, Huntsville AL

Original Research by School Decision on Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School

Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School serves grades six through eight in Huntsville, as part of Huntsville City Schools. Its name suggests a focus that sets it apart from a standard middle school, though curriculum details are not part of the available data. The school is a regular public school; no charter or magnet status is indicated.

The student body is notably diverse. Black students make up roughly half the enrollment, while white students account for about a quarter. Hispanic students, students of two or more races, Asian students, and a small number of American Indian or Native Hawaiian students complete the mix. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals is modest, meaning the school serves a predominantly middle-income population. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was missing from the records reviewed.

State assessment results from the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) for the most recent year show a clear pattern. In English language arts, a solid majority of students at each grade level met the proficiency standard. The eighth-grade ELA result was particularly strong, and the sixth-grade result was also well above half. Seventh-grade ELA was lower, though still above the halfway mark. In math, performance was markedly weaker across all three grades. Proficiency rates in math were substantially below those in ELA, with only a minority of students at each grade level reaching the proficient level. Eighth-grade math was the strongest of the three, but still low, and seventh-grade math was the weakest subject area across the whole school. In eighth-grade science, less than half of students were proficient. Compared to other districts in Madison County, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the county's four districts.

Because this is a middle school, the data does not include a graduation rate, which is a standard outcome measure only for high schools.

The school is part of Huntsville City Schools. The district made a lasting change in 2023 by moving to a balanced calendar that starts the school year in late July or early August and redistributes breaks, which is a meaningful factor for family scheduling.

Huntsville itself is a mid-size, fast-growing city driven by the aerospace, defense, and technology sectors anchored at Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park. Major employers include NASA, defense contractors, and large manufacturers. The city has been among the fastest-growing in the U.S. through recent annexation and economic development. Housing values in the area are below the state median and well below the national median, and rents are relatively modest compared to household income, making the cost of living more accessible than in many parts of the country.

The name of this school signals a special emphasis, but the available data does not detail what that emphasis looks like in daily instruction or elective offerings. What the assessment results show is a school where most students are reading and writing on grade level, but where math is a clear challenge. A parent considering this school would want to understand how the school supports math instruction and whether its special programs extend into that area. The school’s demographic mix and the city’s strong local economy are both significant parts of the context a family would weigh.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 34% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 25% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 22% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 58% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 58% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 54% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolHuntsville City, 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 6Lower-income52%Higher-income85%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income69%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income85%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income42%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income2%Higher-income27%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income43%25 pp gap