Compare Thomas Middle School with Lanier Middle School

Thomas Middle School earned a State accountability rating of C (70-79) based on three domains: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Scores are scaled from 0 to 100 to align with letter grades. The school scored 57 in student achievement, 79 in school progress and 73 in closing performance gaps. It scored 77 overall in post-secondary readiness, a broad term that refers to student preparedness to undertake multiple pathways after graduation, or specifically, their preparedness for college education.

On the other hand, Lanier Middle School performed excellent to earn a State accountability rating of A. The school posted 94 in student achievement, 91 in school progress, 96 in closing performance gaps and 95 overall in post-secondary readiness.

A distinction designation acknowledges districts and campuses for outstanding achievement based on the outcomes of several performance indicators. Distinction designations are awarded for achievement in several areas and are based on performance relative to a group of campuses of similar type, size, grade span, and student demographics.

It is in this area where the two schools differ. Thomas Middle School’s five out of seven distinctions are in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, with 25% student progress and 25% closing performance gaps. Lanier Middle School's six out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, post-secondary and with 25% student progress.

Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, the dominant group in Thomas Middle School is African Americans who make up nearly 67.43% of student population, followed by Hispanics (29.31%), Whites or Caucasians (1.34%), Two or More Races (0.96%), Asians (0.57%) and Native Americans (0.19%).

The student population at Lanier Middle School is also predominantly by Whites or Caucasians at 31.52%, followed by Hispanics (28.69%), Asians (20.07%), African Americans (12.37%), Two or More Races (7.14%) and Native Americans (0.21%).

Based on household incomes, Thomas Middle School’s economically disadvantaged students is significantly higher at 95.79% compared to 25.58% at Lanier Middle School.

In terms of Limited English Proficiency (LEP), a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English Language, mainly because it is not their native language, Thomas Middle School has 87 English Language Learners or ELLS or about 16.67% of student population. Lanier Middle School has significantly more ELLs at 121 or about 8.55% of student population.

Additionally, Thomas Middle School has 15.90% bilingual students, 2.87% are in the gifted and talented program, while 20.69% are in the special education program. Lanier Middle School’s bilingual students comprise 9.12% of student population while 4.81% are in the special education program. Lanier Middle School bested Thomas Middle School in one area, with nearly 65.09% of its student population in the gifted and talented program.

Thomas Middle School's 32 teachers have been working at the campus for an average of 4.7 years with individual teaching experience averaging 8.9 years. Teachers at Lanier Middle School, numbering 66 teachers, have been serving the school for an average of 7.7 years with individual teaching experience averaging 10.9 years.

Of its teaching staff, Thomas Middle School no teacher serving the school for over 30 years, has four teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, eight teachers have worked for 11-20 years, six teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 14 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including one beginning teacher only. Lanier Middle School has three teachers serving the school for over 30 years, has six teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 20 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, 19 teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 13 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including six beginning teachers.

In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At Thomas Middle School there are 19 female teachers and 13 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, four special education teachers are being assisted by seven teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has three staff members in the school administration department and ten more working as school support staff.

At Lanier Middle School there are 41 female teachers and 24 male teachers. Of its teaching staff, one special education teacher is being assisted by four teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has three staff members in the school administration department and seven more working as school support staff.