i3 Academy

The i3 Academy district in Birmingham, Alabama, serves approximately 811 students across two schools—i3 Academy Phase 1 (grades K-5) and i3 Academy Phase 2 (grades 6-9)—with both schools serving predominantly economically disadvantaged populations, as roughly 74% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

When comparing the two schools, i3 Academy Phase 1 generally outperforms its middle school counterpart in English Language Arts, with 5th grade reaching 52% proficiency—the district's highest subject score. However, Phase 1 shows a stark weakness in 5th grade Mathematics at just 18.67% proficiency, well below the state average of 39.06%. Meanwhile, i3 Academy Phase 2 demonstrates its strongest results in 6th grade English (47.92% proficiency) but struggles significantly in 8th grade Mathematics (11.36% proficiency) and 8th grade Science (31.82% proficiency, a 22.3-point gap from the state average). A notable bright spot is Phase 2's dramatic improvement in 6th grade Mathematics, which nearly tripled from 7.69% to 21.88% proficiency year-over-year, while Phase 1's 4th grade Mathematics jumped 56% from 26.39% to 41.18%.

Across both schools, English proficiency consistently exceeds Mathematics proficiency in every grade, often by wide margins—a pattern more pronounced than statewide trends. The district also faces structural challenges: Phase 2 has a significantly higher student-teacher ratio (23.5:1) compared to Phase 1 (16.4:1), and Phase 2's chronic absenteeism rate (14.3%) exceeds the state average, while Phase 1 matches it at 12.0%. The district ranks 112th out of 139 districts in Alabama with a 1-star rating, but the substantial year-over-year gains in several subjects suggest targeted interventions are beginning to take hold. For parents, the key takeaway is that while both schools lag state averages in most subjects—particularly math and science—there are clear pockets of success and momentum worth investigating, especially in 4th grade math and 6th grade English.