i3 Academy Middle School

i3 Academy Phase 2 is a middle school in Birmingham, AL, serving 400 students in grades 6 through 9 within the i3 Academy district, where about 73% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school is showing real momentum, especially in math. Over the past few years, 6th grade math proficiency has jumped from just over 6% to nearly 22%, and 8th grade math has more than tripled. That kind of growth stands out when you compare it to nearby schools with similar student populations. For example, 6th grade math proficiency at i3 (21.88%) is dramatically higher than the 1.47% to 8.47% range seen at schools like Wilkerson Middle School and Erwin Middle School. Reading scores are also a relative strength, with 6th grade ELA proficiency at 47.92%, outpacing the 10.78% to 40.17% range of comparable Birmingham-area schools. The school has also made huge strides in attendance, cutting chronic absenteeism from a staggering 41.5% during the pandemic years down to 14.3%—close to the state average.

That said, there are challenges. While math is improving, proficiency rates are still low in absolute terms—only about 11% of 8th graders are proficient. The school also has a high student-to-teacher ratio of 23.5, compared to around 12 at wealthier nearby schools like Liberty Park Middle School and Mountain Brook Junior High School, which also post math scores 40-50 points higher. Support for special education students has declined, and students from low-income backgrounds perform below the school's overall average. Still, i3 Academy Phase 2 is clearly moving in the right direction and outperforming most of its demographically similar neighbors.