The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Epic Alternative Elementary School
EPIC Alternative Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Birmingham City school system. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school’s name carries the word “alternative,” but the data classifies it as a regular elementary school, so a parent would want to confirm directly with the district whether the school uses a particular instructional model or serves a specific population such as students who have struggled in traditional settings. Without a program description in the available data, that detail remains unclear.
The school is small for a public elementary, with enrollment under the typical size for its grade band. Most students are Black, and a much smaller number of students are Hispanic, white, multiracial, or Asian. Roughly half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school serves a population with moderate to high economic need. No data was available for the share of students with an Individualized Education Program or English learner classification, so a parent may want to ask about special education staffing and English language support directly.
On state assessments, EPIC Alternative Elementary posts results that are well above the median among schools in Jefferson County in overall proficiency. The data available is from a single year, so there is no trend yet. In third-grade math and fifth-grade math, nearly all students scored proficient, and fourth-grade math was in the middle range. English language arts results were strong across the board, with fifth graders achieving universal proficiency and fourth graders close behind. Third-grade reading proficiency was at a solid level. Fourth-grade science results were lower, with a little over two-fifths of students proficient. That dip in science is a soft spot, and a parent might want to ask about science instruction and curriculum.
Because EPIC serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported, so that aspect of student engagement is unknown.
The school is located in Birmingham, a mid-sized city that serves as a regional hub for medicine, finance, and higher education. The city has well-documented civic assets including Railroad Park, the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but its population has declined gradually and it is no longer the largest city in the state. Housing in the school’s ZIP code is priced slightly below the national median, with a modest rent increase in the past year and home values showing a small decline. That context makes the area relatively accessible for homebuyers compared with many other urban markets.
The Birmingham City district undertook a consolidation plan in 2023 to address falling enrollment and aging facilities, with mergers, repurposing of buildings, and phased improvements scheduled through 2027. That plan may affect which elementary school a child attends or where a new family lives when they choose an address. The district also opened a new Career Tech Academy in 2023, though that serves high school students and would not directly affect an elementary family. The Alabama Literacy Act’s third-grade retention requirement took effect in the 2023-2024 school year, meaning that third graders who do not meet reading standards must be retained. Given EPIC’s solid third-grade reading proficiency numbers, most students appear to clear that bar, but a parent of a struggling reader would want to understand what reading intervention the school offers.
EPIC Alternative Elementary School sits within Birmingham City’s portfolio of neighborhood elementary schools, and its academic results on math and reading are strong relative to other schools in the county. The science weakness and the absence of program description are the two areas a parent would most want to investigate before enrolling.
See more original research from School Decision →