Birmingham City Schools Go From 22 Failing Schools To 5

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The recent reports card for public schools in Alabama was released last week, and while receiving a "D" overall as a system shows the Birmingham City Schools system itself has some work to do, a bright spot in the recent report is that the number of schools receiving a grade of "F" fell from 22 schools last year to just five this year.

Overall, BCS as a district improved from a 66 in 2016-2017 to a 68 in 2017-2018. In a tiered layer of progress, BCS increased the number of schools rated A, B, or C, by 100%, moving from 6 schools to 12. One school moved from a grade of B to an A. Three schools maintained a B status. Three schools increased from grades of F to C. Four schools improved from a grade of D to a grade of C. Fourteen schools increased from a grade of F to D.

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“Birmingham City Schools is on an upward trajectory,” said Dr. Lisa Herring, BCS Superintendent. “Following last year’s results, we committed to own our data. We declared that in a year’s time, we would not be standing in that same space. I am proud to say we honored that commitment.”

BCS advanced 17 of 22 schools forward from grades of F to scores of D or higher with three of those 17 schools leaping to earn a grade of C.

The five schools receiving an F were:

• Bush Hills Academy: 58
• Hayes K-8: 51
• Hemphill Elementary School: 56
• Huffman Academy: 59
• WE Putnam Middle School: 58

“Last year, we committed to use the report card as a tool for growth. In response, our board committed to providing the resources and implementing the policies our schools needed to positively impact student achievement. This report card indicates that we are focused on the right measures, and these measures are leading to positive student outcomes,” said Birmingham Board of Education President Cheri Gardner.

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