The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Duran South
Duran South was a middle school in the Pell City school system, but it is now closed. It served students in a single, unspecified middle-grade band, and its NCES designation confirms it was a regular public school, not a charter, magnet, or alternative school. Because the school is no longer operating, the information available about it is limited to the final years of its operation.
The most recent academic data comes from the school’s last year of testing. On the Alabama ACAP assessment, a modest share of seventh graders met the state’s proficiency standard in math, with a larger share reaching that level in English language arts. These results represent a single snapshot for one grade level in one year. The science data predates the ACAP, coming from an earlier assessment, and shows a smaller share of students scoring proficient compared to English language arts, though it is from a different testing regime and a prior school year, so direct comparisons are not clean. For any parent, these numbers are a look back at a now-shuttered campus and do not reflect current instruction.
Enrollment and demographic data are absent from the record. This includes total enrollment, race and ethnicity counts, the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and counts of students with disabilities or English learners. Without this information, it is not possible to characterize the peer environment or the level of student support services at Duran South. The school’s civil rights data, course access, staffing, and discipline records are also missing.
Duran South was part of the Pell City district, which serves the city of Pell City, Alabama. Pell City is the largest city in St. Clair County and sits on Interstate 20 between Birmingham and Atlanta, bordered by Logan Martin Lake. The city has a history as a textile mill town centered on Avondale Mills, which has since closed, and has transitioned toward residential and recreational development tied to the lake. Pell City has been growing, with population increases driven by the I-20 corridor and lakefront housing. The school district itself operates multiple elementary schools, intermediate and junior high campuses, a high school, and a trade school, and a recent property tax referendum passed to fund art and music teachers, storm shelters, and sports facility upgrades. The Alabama Literacy Act, a statewide requirement that third graders must demonstrate reading proficiency for promotion to fourth grade, affects families with young children in the district. No other recent district-specific changes—such as curriculum shifts, bond issues, or property tax changes—were found in available public reporting.
For a parent or resident, the central fact about Duran South is that it no longer exists as an operating school. Any test results, staffing details, or program information from its final years are historical data points, not a guide to current enrollment or instruction. The building’s specific use after closure—whether repurposed, sold, or shuttered—is not detailed in the available data. If you are researching schools in Pell City for a prospective move, you would look to the district’s active middle-grade campuses rather than this one. The Pell City district offers multiple school options across the city, and the district office would be the appropriate place to ask about current attendance boundaries, programs, and capacity.
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