Ira F Simmons Middle School

Ira F Simmons Middle School is a middle-grades school of roomy scale in Hoover, Alabama, part of Hoover City, teacheing 860 students in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 69% above the state mean of about 508.

Across the 16 schools in Hoover City (13,632 students total), Ira F Simmons Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Ira F Simmons Middle School shows that 52% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder breaks down as 26% Black, 14% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 3% Asian. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, Ira F Simmons Middle School records 62 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.9:1 average. Around 44% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Ira F Simmons Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 51.8%, the actual is 63.3%, a residual of +11.6 points.

In the area at large, Jefferson County reports that median household earnings sit near $66,388, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across Jefferson County's 181 public schools (combined enrollment of about 97,401 students), Ira F Simmons Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Gwin Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ira F Simmons Middle School at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 37.0%.

Ira F Simmons Middle School operates from a commuter-belt location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 4%: 828 students in 2018 compared to 860 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 61% to 52% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.