C J Donald Middle School

C J Donald Middle School is one of the cozy junior highs in Fairfield, Alabama, overseen by Fairfield City, with 316 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 508 students per school, that is 38% below typical.

Across the 4 schools in Fairfield City (1,348 students total), C J Donald Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, C J Donald Middle School reports that nearly all students (95%) are Black. The remainder breaks down as 4% Hispanic. By comparison, Jefferson County as a whole is about 42% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, On paper, C J Donald Middle School has 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.1:1. The state averages around 17.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 87% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is north of Jefferson County's rate of about 52%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, C J Donald Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 20.8%; this one delivers 14.0%.

In the area at large, Jefferson County reports that median household earnings sit near $66,388, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Jefferson County runs 181 public schools (combined enrollment of about 97,401 students), of which C J Donald Middle School is one.

Fairfield High Preparatory School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), C J Donald Middle School ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 43.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at C J Donald Middle School has ticked down 4%, going from 329 students in 2018 to 316 in 2025. Class-load math has loosened: from 18.3:1 in 2018 to 21.1:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.