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Best Public Schools in Birmingham, AL


At a glance
71
Schools
32,175
Students
7
Districts
6
5-star schools
Top rankedJefferson County International Baccalaureate School2nd of 386 Alabama high schools
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Biggest riser
Christian School up 61 spots statewide this year
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Smallest classes
WE Putnam Middle SchoolMagnet 10.8 students per teacher
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SchoolDigger ratings
5★
1★
0★
14 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

The Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area is served by 62 schools across multiple districts, including Birmingham City, Jefferson County, and Shelby County, offering education from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in settings that range from large comprehensive high schools to small specialized academies.

There is a stark divide in academic performance across the area. Oak Mountain High School and Mt Laurel Elementary School in Shelby County are the clear academic leaders, ranking in the 97th and 98th percentiles statewide, respectively. Oak Mountain High boasts a 95.7% graduation rate and math proficiency more than double the state average, while Mt Laurel posts extraordinary proficiency rates like 96.74% in 5th grade English. In contrast, Hudson K8 School and Jackson-Olin High School face severe challenges, with Hudson recording 0% math proficiency in 4th and 5th grades and Jackson-Olin showing a 63.8% graduation rate. However, Birmingham City has hidden gems: Phillips Academy achieves 95.59% 7th grade English proficiency, EPIC Alternative Elementary School ranks in the 94th percentile, and Ramsay High School boasts a perfect 100% graduation rate.

Key takeaways for parents: higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes—Bush Hills STEAM Academy spends the most per student ($19,712) yet ranks in the 8th percentile, while Oak Mountain Middle School spends the least ($8,399) and ranks in the 93rd. Chronic absenteeism strongly correlates with low performance, with schools above 25% absenteeism consistently in the bottom 5th percentile. Smaller schools like Princeton School (195 students) and EPIC Alternative (232 students) tend to outperform larger counterparts, though Oak Mountain High's success at 1,648 students proves size isn't everything. Finally, math proficiency consistently declines as students advance through grades across multiple schools, suggesting a systemic challenge in upper elementary and middle school math instruction that parents should monitor closely.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Birmingham

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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.

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