The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Adolescent Day Treatment
Adolescent Day Treatment is a special education school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade within the Birmingham City Schools district. It is a distinct setting, not a neighborhood school, and its purpose is to provide educational services for students whose needs are best met in a therapeutic day treatment environment. The school is located in downtown Birmingham, a mid-sized city that functions as a major regional economic, medical, and educational hub for the Deep South. Birmingham’s economy has shifted from its historic steel and heavy industry base toward services, healthcare, and finance, and it is home to major employers such as Regions Financial, Vulcan Materials, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Because this is a special education school, the standard academic performance measures that parents typically look at are largely absent or not applicable in the usual way. The only state testing data available is from the 2015-16 school year, and it shows a zero percent proficiency rate in math, English language arts, and science for seventh grade. The number of students tested was suppressed, and no other grade levels or more recent years are available. When compared to other districts in Jefferson County, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. A parent should understand that this is a therapeutic day treatment setting, not a comprehensive neighborhood school, and the student population is one for whom standard state assessments may not be the primary measure of progress. The school’s purpose is to provide educational services within a treatment framework, and the available test data is thin and dated.
No graduation rate is reported, which is common for a school of this type where the student population may not follow a traditional four-year high school trajectory. Enrollment and demographic data, including counts by race, ethnicity, free or reduced-price lunch status, and special education classification, are all missing from the available records. This is a significant gap for a parent trying to understand the size and composition of the student body. The school’s website and directory information confirm it is an open, active school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The school is part of Birmingham City Schools, a district that has been undergoing notable changes. The district approved a school consolidation plan in 2023 as part of a Strategic Facility Plan addressing declining enrollment and aging infrastructure, with mergers and building repurposing scheduled through 2027. At the same time, the district opened a new Career Tech Academy in 2023, expanding career pathway programs in healthcare, IT, and advanced manufacturing for high school students. The Alabama Literacy Act’s third-grade retention provision, which took effect in the 2023-2024 school year, has particular relevance for the district, where a modest share of elementary students tested at or above proficient for reading, prompting the district to implement reading coaches and new literacy intervention programs.
For a parent considering Adolescent Day Treatment, the most important context is that this is not a school where typical academic metrics like proficiency rates or graduation rates carry their usual meaning. The available test data is from a single year and shows no students scoring proficient, but the number of students tested was suppressed, and the data is nearly a decade old. The school exists to serve students who need a therapeutic educational environment, and its academic profile cannot be compared to a traditional school. A parent should contact the school or the Birmingham City Schools district directly to understand the current program, the population it serves, and how student progress is measured in this setting. The district itself is in a period of transition, with consolidation plans, a new career tech academy, and state literacy mandates shaping the broader educational landscape in Birmingham.
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