South Girard School

South Girard School, a middle-of-the-pack intermediate school in Phenix City, Alabama, one of the schools within Phenix City, caters to 501 students, covering grade 8.

Phenix City runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 7,198 students. South Girard School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, South Girard School reports that Black students make up the majority at 60%. Other groups include 22% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. By comparison, Russell County as a whole is about 46% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, South Girard School has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.9:1, putting South Girard School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 60% of students at South Girard School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, South Girard School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 40.0%, the actual is 34.3%, a residual of -5.7 points.

Around the school, Russell County reports that the typical household earns roughly $51,197 per year, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 17%. Across Russell County's 18 public schools (combined enrollment of about 10,127 students), South Girard School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Meadowlane Elementary School, around 0.3 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around South Girard School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts South Girard School at 5th of 9; the average score across the group is 25.9%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at South Girard School has rose 15%, going from 437 students in 2018 to 501 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 26% to 22% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 18.6:1 in 2018 to 16.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.