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EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Q: Is EPIC Alternative Elementary School a good school?

EPIC Alternative Elementary School ranks 90 th of 680 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

90^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 680 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

EPIC Alternative Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 293 students in grades PK-5 in Birmingham, Alabama, which is part of the Birmingham City School District. Despite the district's low overall ranking, EPIC Alternative Elementary School consistently outperforms its peers, ranking 90 out of 680 Alabama elementary schools and receiving a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2024-2025 school year.

EPIC Alternative Elementary School's academic performance is particularly impressive, with the school ranking among the top 5-12% of Alabama elementary schools for African American students and low-socioeconomic status students. Additionally, the school has seen a significant improvement in its chronic absenteeism rate, which dropped to 13.6% in 2023-2024, lower than the district and state averages. When compared to nearby schools, such as Phillips Academy, which ranked 212th in the state, EPIC Alternative Elementary School stands out as a high-performing outlier within the Birmingham City School District.

The success of EPIC Alternative Elementary School is particularly noteworthy given the high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients among its student population, indicating a relatively low socioeconomic status. The school's ability to achieve strong academic outcomes despite these challenges suggests that it has effective strategies in place to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The lessons learned from EPIC Alternative Elementary School's success could serve as a model for other schools within the Birmingham City School District or even across the state, providing valuable insights for improving educational outcomes in similar high-need, low-performing districts.

232

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,113

Per pupil spending ?

41.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 10th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35205-4606

(205) 231-7370

District: Birmingham City

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.2%

White:

2.6%

Hispanic:

2.2%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare EPIC Alternative Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 80th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (76% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Alabama elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg31%

Alabama avg52%

90^th of 680

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 26Elementary Schools in the Birmingham City

113^th of 135Birmingham City among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	84.3	90 of 680	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	109 of 684	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	87.2	62 of 680	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	55.6	307 of 687	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.4	453 of 692	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.2	231 of 681	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	359 of 680	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	68.1	188 of 688	72.7%	★★★★☆
2016	70.3	172 of 691	75.1%	★★★★☆
2015	75.8	138 of 691	80.0%	★★★★☆
2014	61.4	248 of 695	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.2	206 of 696	70.4%	★★★★☆
2012	59.1	339 of 696	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.6	223 of 709	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.5	332 of 704	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.1	136 of 696	80.5%	★★★★☆
2008	72.6	150 of 698	78.5%	★★★★☆
2007	61.4	282 of 698	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.4	150 of 689	78.2%	★★★★☆
2005	72.4	152 of 688	77.9%	★★★★☆
2004	58.2	261 of 623	58.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	95.9	12 of 427	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	93.9	18 of 420	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.6	5 of 427	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	83.3	35 of 426	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	59.9	133 of 426	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	88.2	30 of 426	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	81.0	51 of 423	87.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	87.1	61 of 649	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	75.3	141 of 650	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	82.4	92 of 645	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	45.0	368 of 656	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.9	436 of 656	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.6	206 of 646	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	311 of 640	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	68.7	171 of 639	73.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	87.8	38 of 660	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	84.1	59 of 670	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	83.2	51 of 623	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	65.8	185 of 651	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	27.3	482 of 653	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	71.7	118 of 649	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	72.6	145 of 651	77.7%	★★★★☆
2017	81.4	55 of 567	90.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	99 of 651	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	80 of 655	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	87.9	60 of 649	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	61.5	238 of 669	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.0	424 of 669	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.9	242 of 650	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	382 of 650	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	61.0	236 of 639	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2019	50.7	164 of 392	58.2%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)97th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)91st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Special Education (2019)58th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English86%+21 vs state

Mathematics78%+35 vs state

Science42%~ state avg

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 23, 2016

Do NOT send your kids here if they are white. They will be bullied by students and staff alike, which is beyond sad when you teach your young child not to see color yet the other families do not do the same. And when beat on, the teachers will not help the white student, but tell them they need to learn to fight back. Thats right, you heard me correct. They encourage physical fighting. We put the kids in the Waldorf school and homeschool instead of sending them here even though it is 1 block away from the house. Awful. Close Quote

Schools Near EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)						Summative Assessment Science (2025)		Summative Assessment English (2025)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
EPIC Alternative Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 10th Ave S	Birmingham	35205	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-7370	232	18	12.8	41.8%	6 (2.6%)	214 (92.2%)	5 (2.2%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	84.3	90^th of 680 public elementary schools	86.8%		81.8	109^th of 684 public elementary schools	84.1%	19	85.7	54.6	92.6				42.4		75.0	81.8	100.0				$16,113	$4,396	$11,715
Glen Iris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1115 11th Street South	Birmingham	35205	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-7440	827	38	21.7	68.4%	16 (1.9%)	502 (60.7%)	273 (33.0%)	20 (2.4%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.4%)	11 (1.3%)	13.5	602^nd of 680 public elementary schools	11.5%		14.3	586^th of 684 public elementary schools	14.3%	16	25.2	13.8	10.0				15.2		43.9	46.4	34.3				$9,950	$1,538	$8,410
Freedom Prep Academy	Public, Charter	K-1	630 1st Avenue S	Birmingham	35205	Jefferson County	Freedom Prep Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(334) 521-6094	41			68.3%	1 (2.4%)	35 (85.4%)	4 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)								(n/a)
Washington K8	Public	PK, KG-8	115 Fourth Avenue South	Birmingham	35205	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-7740	617	30	20.5	74.6%	6 (1.0%)	385 (62.4%)	217 (35.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.1%)	39.4	428^th of 680 public elementary schools	37.1%		20.6	544^th of 684 public elementary schools	20.5%	116	62.2	71.1	38.1	8.1	5.3	10.3	11.1	16.8	72.1	40.9	48.8	23.5	39.3	41.2	$11,393	$2,367	$9,024
Edgewood Elementary School	Public	K-5	901 College Ave	Homewood	35209	Jefferson County	Homewood City	No	No	No	No	(205) 423-2400	935	67	13.9	12.0%	786 (84.1%)	87 (9.3%)	34 (3.6%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.4%)	95.3	13^th of 680 public elementary schools	98.1%		96.1	14^th of 684 public elementary schools	98.0%	1	82.4	80.0	64.5				84.0		96.3	95.4	86.9				$10,200	$926	$9,252
Engle Day Treatment	Public	1-7	2015 Park Place N	Birmingham	35203	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 231-4776																			(n/a)
Homebound Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2015 Park Place	Birmingham	35203	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	No	(205) 231-4777																			(n/a)
Shades Cahaba Elementary School	Public	K-5	3001 Independence Drive	Homewood	35209	Jefferson County	Homewood City	No	No	No	No	(205) 871-1113	507	40	12.6	22.1%	383 (75.5%)	45 (8.9%)	38 (7.5%)	15 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.1%)	93.7	26^th of 680 public elementary schools	96.2%		94.9	25^th of 684 public elementary schools	96.3%	1	77.6	84.7	58.5				82.4		90.7	90.5	87.7				$12,104	$980	$11,103
Phillips Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2316 7th Avenue North	Birmingham	35203	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-9500	609	33	18.4	56.2%	4 (0.7%)	580 (95.2%)	16 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	68	212^th of 680 public elementary schools	68.8%		73.8	165^th of 684 public elementary schools	75.9%	47	41.5	48.6	76.8	82.5	60.9	50.0	14.3	49.3	70.8	58.6	80.4	87.5	92.4	79.4	$10,154	$1,011	$9,140
Hemphill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	714 12th Street SW	Birmingham	35211	Jefferson County	Birmingham City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 231-7500	353	20	17.6	79.0%	4 (1.1%)	312 (88.4%)	33 (9.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	13.3	606^th of 680 public elementary schools	10.9%		14.7	584^th of 684 public elementary schools	14.6%	22	37.5	14.3	11.5				14.3		38.3	37.0	24.0				$11,087	$2,703	$8,383

Frequently Asked Questions about EPIC Alternative Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of EPIC Alternative Elementary School?

Students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School are 92% African American, 3% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is EPIC Alternative Elementary School a good school?

EPIC Alternative Elementary School ranks 90^th of 680 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is EPIC Alternative Elementary School in?

Birmingham City

How many students attend EPIC Alternative Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 232 students attended EPIC Alternative Elementary School.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.