Alabama’s newest school report cards – state and federal – came out last week, offering a snapshot that is equal parts progress report and warning sign.
Some schools celebrated higher scores while others stayed noticeably quiet as the report card data revealed widening gaps in teacher experience, student needs and overall performance.
RELATED: Check out more stories from church branding strategist and consultant Mark MacDonald.
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
The state report card focuses on scores in each of six categories, while the federal report card adds deeper context about teacher qualifications, score breakdowns and school-level challenges that can shape outcomes.
‘Closer read’ on improvements, problems
A closer read shows where schools are improving and where persistent problems – from emergency-certified teachers to chronic absenteeism – continue to undercut progress.
Here are seven takeaways that matter for parents, educators and policymakers.
(To see a full list of overall scores for each school, scroll to the bottom of the page.)
The teacher shortage is getting worse in high-poverty schools
While education officials and state lawmakers have improved pay and benefits for teachers in recent years, the numbers still look grim in some geographic areas of the state — especially in schools serving the highest levels of poverty.
The federal report card includes the number of teachers at each of six certificate levels in every school, district and statewide.
One particularly telling statistic is the number of emergency certificated teachers. These are generally people working toward certification — sometimes career-changers or individuals re-entering the workforce — who have been granted an emergency certificate to go ahead and teach in a classroom.
A person can work under an emergency certificate for up to four years before being required to obtain full certification. It is not a reflection on a teacher’s ability, but an indicator of their level of experience.
The number of emergency certificated teachers, shown below, has grown substantially in recent years.
- 2018 – 442
- 2019 – 476
- 2020 – 857
- 2021 – 1,345
- 2022 – 2,144
- 2023 – 2,800
- 2024 – 3,014
- 2025 – 3,288
More concerning is where those increases are concentrated: high-poverty urban and rural schools.
Experts agree that the students who need the most support often have the least experienced — or in this case, least certified — teachers. That’s not to say all rural or urban schools have high levels of emergency-certificated teachers, but many do.
For example, in Montgomery County — where student poverty levels are high outside of most magnet schools — 25 of the district’s 47 schools have more than 20% of teachers working under emergency certificates.
Only one of those 25 is a magnet school: Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet, where 23% of teachers hold emergency certificates.
In four Montgomery elementary schools, more than 50% of teachers are working under emergency certificates.
Statewide, eight schools — including Montgomery’s four — have more than half their teachers working under emergency certificates.
Letter grades and proficiency levels aren’t tied very closely.
Because a school’s overall score is heavily driven by academic growth and other indicators, it doesn’t always align neatly with how many students are proficient. If higher proficiency is the goal, it’s important not to overlook where academic support is still needed.
For example:
- A high school in southeast Alabama had 25% of students proficient in English language arts and earned an 87.
- An elementary school in south Alabama earned a 48 with 25% of students proficient in ELA.
- A middle school in an urban area earned a 67 with 24% of students proficient in ELA.
- The state earned a score of 87 with 33% of students proficient in math.
The number of priority schools are lower – why that matters
This year, 124 schools — out of -1,350 graded schools statewide — earned a ‘D’ or an ‘F.’ That’s down from 156 the previous year and 206 the year before that.
Schools earning a ‘D’ or ‘F’ are labeled as “priority” schools. And labeling a school “priority” opens a school choice process for parents.
Parents with children in priority schools can choose to stay put or move their child to a different, non-priority school within the district if space is available. That’s a provision of the Alabama Accountability Act.
If a family chooses another school within the same district, the district must provide transportation to and from school if the student lives more than two miles away.
Parents also have the option of transferring to a public non-priority school in another district — if that district accepts the student — or moving to a non-public school or homeschooling if they have the ability to do so.
Schools must notify parents by Jan. 1 of their options. Parents must notify districts of their choice by March 1, and district officials make the final decision on whether to allow an in-district transfer.
Magnet schools are doing their thing well
Magnet and specialty schools, including International Baccalaureate programs, earned high marks — expected for these selective schools. Of the 41 magnet or specialty schools in Alabama:
- 27 earned A’s
- 9 earned B’s
- 4 earned C’s
Most magnet or specialty schools in Alabama are selective, requiring either an admissions test or minimum GPA and discipline record to enroll and remain in the program.
Chronic absenteeism is down – mostly
Chronic absenteeism — defined as missing more than 18 days of school, excused or unexcused — decreased in three out of four schools statewide. In 355 schools, however, it increased.
Nationwide, chronic absenteeism has been a serious issue since the pandemic. Alabama, however, continues to have one of the lowest absenteeism rates in the country.
But even amid the statewide improvement, 27 schools had chronic absenteeism rates of 33% or higher. Four schools — all high schools — had more than half of students chronically absent.
The number of students with disabilities has decreased significantly
According to federal report card data, the number and percentage of students identified with disabilities — meaning they have individualized education programs — has dropped sharply from previous years:
- 2024-25: 104,000 students
- 2023-24: 129,000
- 2022-23: 131,000
The decline appears proportional across race and gender, but it’s unclear why.
Level 1 percentages are down, level 4 percentages are up (except in science)
Achievement at both ends of the spectrum shifted this year: fewer students scored at level 1, the lowest level, and more reached level 4, the highest, in reading and math.
The percentage of tested students in grades 3-8 and grade 11 scoring only at level 1 has decreased slightly, and the percentage reaching Level 4 is growing – a positive sign that more students are mastering standards.
The distribution of scoring levels stayed about the same in science, as did the statewide proficiency level.
Yes, the test is the same, and no, the cut scores haven’t changed in recent years. The third grade reading cut score changed, but those figures aren’t used in the federal report card.
Here are overall scores
Click here if you are to see the table with schools’ scores.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
Share with others: