Our System 

The Birmingham City School System is an urban district located in Birmingham, Ala., the largest city in the state. The city has a population of 212,237 according to the 2010 US. Census. It is the core of metro area of 1.1 million people.

The district has 51 schools -- 25 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, seven K-8 schools, seven high schools and one alternative school.

The capital improvement program continues, with six new schools opening for the 2011-2012 school year, including a new Parker High School, Jones Valley K-8 School, West End Academy, Bush Hills Academy, Henry Jefferson Oliver Elementary School and Huffman Academy. Major renovation and addition projects at Ramsay High School and Inglenook K-8 School also have been completed.

Phillips Academy and Ramsay High School have been named candidate schools for the International Baccalaureate program. Phillips has applied for the Primray and Middle Years programs, while Ramsay is a candidate for the Diploma Program. If the schools are successful in their quest to become International Baccalaureate World Schools, the Birmingham City Schools will be the only district in the metropolitan area to offer IB programs for kindergarten through high school.

While there are five magnet programs, many schools across the district have well-deserved reputations for high levels of student achievement. Among the award winners is Wilkerson Middle School, which has been named a Torchbearer School several times. Smith Middle School is designated as a High-Flying School.

The district is especially proud of the W.J. Christian K-8 School chess team, which won the state academic championship in March 2011.

Wenonah High School has several accomplishments to boast about in 2010-2011. Its boys basketball team won the state 5A championship. Culinary arts students won best dessert and third overall in a competition, and several FCCLA students from Wenonah won first place in state competition and will represent Alabama at the national event during the summer.

Students from all seven high schools are taking Advanced Placement classes as part of a focus on providing AP opportunities across the district and participation in the A-Plus College Ready program. Teachers in middle grades also are being trained to provide pre-AP instruction that will prepare students to be successful in AP classes in high school.

This will be a year of planning for seven career academies in six high schools -- Carver, Huffman, Jackson-Olin, Parker, Wenonah and Woodlawn. The academies will allow students to focus on areas of interest. The administration also is researching themed academies in elementary and middle schools to give parents options when choosing schools for their children.