Birmingham City Schools received a grade of C on the most recent State Report Card released Thursday by the Alabama State Board of Education. This marks the second consecutive year the district has received its highest grades since the inception of the A-F report card in 2017.
BCS doubled the number of schools receiving the grade of A and had nine schools to increase a full letter grade. Central Park Elementary School, for example, moved from a grade of F to the grade of C. G.W. Carver and Huffman high schools both moved from D to C.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan welcomed news of the success of the district, its scholars and the educators who make learning happen every day. He also acknowledged the need for continued improvement.
“The report cards look at several data points that present an overall picture of performance includingstandardized tests, academic growth, graduation rates, and attendance,” he said. “We are pleased with progress, but we must continue addressing the academic challenges faced by some of our scholars, and the barriers to progress.
“It takes a lot of work to move an entire student population a full letter grade, but that is our continuous goal. We have been focused on chronic absenteeism, and this report card shows a 5 percent overall reduction in the number of students who were chronically absent in 2022-23.”
Birmingham City Schools has already put in place several initiatives to raise achievement and address learning deficiencies, the superintendent said.
“I am confident that our reading initiatives, high-dosage tutoring, intersession and enrichment opportunities will continue to raise student achievement,” he said. “We are committed to ensuring that every scholar in Birmingham City Schools has the tools, instruction, and support to receive the highest academic potential.”