The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Minor Elementary School
Minor Elementary School sits in the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is part of Birmingham City Schools, a district that has been grappling with declining enrollment and aging facilities. The school’s student body is overwhelmingly made up of Black students, with a small Hispanic population and very small shares of white students and students of two or more races. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the surrounding community. Housing values in the school’s ZIP code are well below state and national medians, and the area’s affordability makes Birmingham a relatively low-cost place to live for families who work in the city’s major sectors of healthcare, banking, and higher education.
Academically, state assessment results from the 2024–25 school year show a pattern of low student performance. In mathematics, the share of students meeting proficiency standards was low across grades three, four, and five. English language arts proficiency was somewhat higher, with roughly two out of five students proficient in grades three and four, and a larger share in grade five. Science results for fourth grade were very low. Compared with other school systems in Jefferson County, Minor Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades fell below the midpoint of the county’s districts. Only a single year of assessment data was available for this school, so trends over time cannot be assessed.
Because Minor Elementary is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and discipline were not provided. The district brief notes that Birmingham City Schools implemented a consolidation plan starting in 2023 to address falling enrollment and outdated buildings, which may affect which schools students attend as buildings are merged or repurposed. Also relevant to an elementary audience is the Alabama Literacy Act, whose third-grade retention provision took effect in the 2023–24 school year. The district has responded by introducing reading coaches and new literacy intervention programs aligned with the science of reading, given that a substantial portion of elementary students were reading below proficiency. For families considering Minor Elementary, these state and district literacy efforts may be important to understand, as they directly affect whether a third grader may be held back.
The school’s location in Birmingham places it within a city that functions as a regional hub for medicine, banking, and education, with major employers including UAB, Regions Financial, and Vulcan Materials. The city has seen gradual population decline and lost its status as Alabama’s largest city, but the broader metropolitan area remains the state’s largest. Civic life is anchored by parks, civil rights landmarks, and cultural institutions, though walkability and urban character vary by neighborhood. Minor Elementary’s own neighborhood context is one of modest housing stock and high poverty, which shapes the school’s student population and resource needs. A parent may want to look into what additional supports the school offers, especially in literacy and math intervention, and how the district’s consolidation plans might affect attendance boundaries in the coming years. The school’s academic results are a soft spot that merits direct inquiry with the administration about current instructional strategies and progress toward improvement.
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