Inglenook School, Birmingham AL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Inglenook School

Inglenook School is a regular public school in Birmingham, Alabama, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates within the Birmingham City district, a system that has seen declining enrollment and is implementing a consolidation plan through 2027. The school itself is small for its grade band, and its student body is almost entirely composed of Black and Hispanic children, with a very small number of students from other racial backgrounds. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is substantial, indicating a high concentration of poverty. For a family considering this school, the peer environment is one where the large majority of classmates come from low-income households, and the racial composition is predominantly Black and Hispanic.

State testing results from the most recent year show that overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects places Inglenook in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Jefferson County. In math, the share of students meeting state benchmarks was low in every tested grade, with some grades showing that almost no students reached the proficient level. In English language arts, the picture was similar, though a couple of grades in the middle elementary years showed a higher portion of students meeting the standard. Science results were also low. Only a single year of data was available, so a trend cannot be assessed. There is no graduation rate because the school does not serve high school grades, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was provided. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports students who are behind academically, especially given the statewide Literacy Act that now requires third graders to meet reading standards to advance.

The school sits within Birmingham, a mid-sized city that serves as a regional hub for healthcare, banking, and education. The city's population has been slowly declining, though the metropolitan area remains the largest in the state. Housing in the school's immediate area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents both lower than the average for Alabama. Walkability and street life vary across the city, and the school's neighborhood is not described in the data.

The Birmingham City district has been reshaped by a 2023 consolidation plan that merged several schools and is repurposing buildings. For high school students, the district opened a new Career Tech Academy in 2023 offering healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing pathways, but that does not directly affect Inglenook's students, who would transition to a district high school after eighth grade. The Alabama Literacy Act's third-grade retention provision is a state mandate that the district is addressing with reading coaches and new intervention programs, which would be relevant to families of younger children at this school.

For a parent weighing this school, the key facts are its small size, high poverty concentration, and consistently low state test scores. The housing market around the school is inexpensive, and the broader Birmingham area offers many civic and cultural anchors, from Railroad Park to the Civil Rights National Monument. The district is in a period of facility changes, and the school does not appear to offer specialized programs or pathways that are publicly documented. A family considering Inglenook should look into what academic supports are available, especially for reading and math, and how the school prepares students for the transition to high school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 27% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 20% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 22% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 63%

School 3% · District 13% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 9% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 7% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 49% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 45% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 35% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 33% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 15% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 83%

School 3% · District 16% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolBirmingham City, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income0%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income0%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income3%Higher-income0%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap