Pleasant Grove High School

Pleasant Grove High School serves 752 students in grades 6-12 in the Jefferson County district, making it one of the few combined middle/high schools in the area, with about 63% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The school has shown a promising rebound recently, climbing from the 4th percentile statewide in 2023-2024 to the 16th percentile in 2025-2026. However, there's a striking gap between grade levels. While 8th graders achieve 41% proficiency in English, 11th graders only reach 11%—a dramatic decline that suggests students struggle as they advance. Mathematics is a critical concern, especially in middle school, where 6th and 7th grade proficiency sits at just 1.1%. Interestingly, 11th grade math proficiency (10.5%) is actually the strongest of any grade level, which may indicate that struggling students aren't advancing to upper grades. The school does show notable strengths: special education students rank in the 48th percentile (2 stars), and African American student performance has improved from the 16th to 35th percentile over two years. The graduation rate of 86% trails the state average of 91.5%, though it remains close to the district's 90.8%.

Compared to nearby schools, Hueytown High School (5 miles away) outperforms Pleasant Grove in most metrics, ranking in the 29th percentile with 16.8% math proficiency. Minor High School (6.8 miles) has a similar overall ranking but a higher graduation rate of 93.3%. On a positive note, Pleasant Grove's chronic absenteeism rate of 18.3% is significantly better than Hueytown's 29.5% and Minor's 28.1%, though still above the state average of 12%. The school also benefits from an improved student-teacher ratio of 15.7, better than most nearby schools, and spends $9,862 per student—more than Hueytown but less than Birmingham City schools. With its improving trajectory and efficient resource use, Pleasant Grove shows potential for continued growth, particularly if middle school math becomes a focus area.