Phillips Preparatory Middle School, Mobile AL

Original Research by School Decision on Phillips Preparatory Middle School

Phillips Preparatory Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the city of Mobile, operating as a regular public school within the Mobile County system. Its enrollment is moderate for a middle school, and the student body reflects the city’s diversity: the largest groups are Black and White students, followed by Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving the school a substantial share of families with lower incomes.

Academically, the school stands out clearly in English language arts. Across all three grades, the share of students meeting state proficiency standards is high, with results in the seventh and eighth grades especially strong. Science, which is tested only in eighth grade, also shows a high proficiency rate. Math results are more varied. Sixth-grade math performance is solid, but rates are noticeably lower in seventh and eighth grades, a pattern a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what support is available for students who struggle with middle school mathematics.

The school has only one year of test data available under the current assessment, so no trend can be drawn yet. Overall, Phillips Preparatory’s combined proficiency across subjects places it among the top performers when measured against other schools in Mobile County. That positioning suggests a rigorous academic environment, particularly in reading and writing.

The school is located on Old Shell Road, a corridor in the city of Mobile. Mobile itself is a mid-size Gulf Coast port city with a diversified economy anchored by shipping, aerospace manufacturing, and shipbuilding. Downtown Mobile has a historic core with entertainment, cultural institutions, and public spaces, but the city’s large geographic footprint means most neighborhoods are car-dependent and suburban in character. Housing in the areas surrounding the school is relatively affordable compared to national averages, which may appeal to families looking for a lower-cost entry point into a region with growing industrial employment. The city experienced notable growth in 2023 through a western annexation that expanded its population and shifted its demographic makeup, and local economic development continues around the port and aerospace sectors.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate or college-going data to report. The district brief for Mobile County turned up no recent major changes that would affect families directly. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available, nor were discipline or attendance figures, so those dimensions of school life cannot be described here. A parent interested in those topics would need to ask the school directly.

Phillips Preparatory Middle School presents as a strong academic option for families in Mobile, especially for students who are confident readers and writers. The math results are a softer spot that merits attention, but the overall performance profile is well above what most of the county’s schools show. The student body is economically and racially diverse, and the school sits in a city with a mix of urban amenities and suburban sprawl, where housing remains accessible relative to many other parts of the country. For a family looking for a solid middle school in a mid-sized southern city with a growing economic base, this school is a serious contender.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 25% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 19% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 18% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 687%

School 87% · District 49% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Grade 794%

School 94% · District 53% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Grade 895%

School 95% · District 52% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Science

Grade 886%

School 86% · District 40% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 56 pts above county median

This schoolMobile 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 6Lower-income81%Higher-income92%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income94%Higher-income94%0 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income94%Higher-income95%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income71%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income59%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income55%15 pp gap