William R Martin Middle School

William R Martin Middle School is a middle-grades school of very small scale in Valley Grande, Alabama, part of Dallas County, instructing 180 students in grades 7 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 65% smaller than the state mean of about 508.

Across the 11 schools in Dallas County (2,283 students total), William R Martin Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, William R Martin Middle School records that the largest single group is Black, at 72% of enrollment; the rest consists of 18% White, 9% multiracial. Compared to Dallas County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the resource side, On paper, William R Martin Middle School has 8 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 24.0:1. The state averages around 17.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 85% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

After controlling for student poverty, William R Martin Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 22.2%, the actual is 26.7%, a residual of +4.4 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Dallas County indicate the typical household earns roughly $35,627 per year, about 18% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Dallas County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,584 students), of which William R Martin Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Valley Grande Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint. On composite proficiency, William R Martin Middle School comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 38.4%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. William R Martin Middle School's enrollment has edged down 34% since 2018, when it stood at 271 (now 180). The White share of enrollment fell from 42% to 18% over that span. Class-load math has widened: from 21.7:1 in 2018 to 24.0:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.