Empower Schools of Alabama

Empower Schools of Alabama is a small, two-school charter district in Bessemer, Alabama, serving roughly 412 students in grades K-8, with no high school, and it ranks near the bottom of the state (136th out of 139 districts). Both schools serve predominantly low-income families, with 71-76% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The Empower Community SchoolLower School (grades K-4) is the district's bright spot, showing dramatic year-over-year gains in 3rd grade: math proficiency jumped from 2.78% to 18.52% and English from 19.44% to 40.74%. It also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (7.3%) than both the district (9.8%) and state (12.0%) averages. In contrast, the Empower Community School Upper Campus (grades 4-8) struggles more, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 12.1% and a complete collapse in 5th grade math, where 0% of students met proficiency. The Upper Campus does show relative strength in English (26-43% proficient across grades) and science (22-27% proficient), which far outpaces its math scores (0-6% proficient).

Mathematics is the district's most critical weakness, with proficiency rates running 24-40 points below state averages in every grade. For example, 4th grade math is at 2.22% versus the state's 42.07%, and 7th grade is at 4.88% versus 24.46%. However, the Lower School's 3rd grade improvements suggest targeted interventions may be working, and English is a relative strength—5th grade English proficiency (43.33%) approaches the state average more closely than any other metric. The lack of a high school means students must transfer after 8th grade, creating a discontinuity in services. While the district faces significant challenges, the Lower School's momentum and the Upper Campus's relative strengths in literacy and science offer potential building blocks for future growth.