Public School Information

Site for Alabama Public School academic testing results:
www.alsde.edu/html/reports_menu.asp

Another great website to compare your current school with a prospective school: http://www.greatschools.net

GENERAL ALABAMA PUBLIC SCHOOL INFORMATION
Montgomery and the River Region Area have many educational choices for families. In addition to public schools, there is an abundance of private schools and homeschooling options.

The Alabama Department of Education maintains current information on all public schools in the state of Alabama including Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore Counties. Information you should know:

Age requirements: Children who will be 5 years old on or before September 2 are eligible for admission to public kindergarten. Children must be 6 years of age on or before September 2 to attend first grade. Kindergarten classes are provided in all public schools but are not mandatory.

Location: A Child’s school is determined by the location of the parent’s or legal guardian’s residence. Students must attend the school in the zone they are assigned with the exception of magnet schools.

Magnet Schools: The magnet system is designed to offer alternative curriculums in order to meet the needs of special talents, interests and abilities of Montgomery students. Application to the magnet schools are made in January. Children entering kindergarten are given an evaluation. Admission for all other grades is based on academic and conduct grades and other criteria based on the school. To view the schools and admission requirements, visit the web site: www.mps.k12.al.us/magnet_schools.htm

Transportation: Busing is used throughout the system for any student who lives more than 2.5 miles from the school they are zoned to attend. For students attending magnet schools, transportation is provided to and from the public school the students would normally be zoned to attend. The students will then be bussed to their neighborhood, depending on residency. There is door-to-door transportation available on specially equipped buses for children with special education needs.

Registration: Parents must present an Alabama Certificate of Immunization for their child. This certificate may be obtained from a pediatrician or family doctor. A child’s birth certificate and proof of the parent’s or guardian’s address must also be presented. A social security number is required. If a student is transferring from another school, a transcript, report card or transfer notice must be presented at the time of registration.

After School Care & Extracurricular Activities: After school care is provided for a fee at most elementary schools. The program is supervised by the YMCA and is done on a contract basis with the school system. Many extra-curricular activities are offered for junior and senior high school students. ROTC is available at many high schools. Band and Choral is offered in junior and senior high school. Additional service clubs are active in the high schools.

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS

Montgomery School System
The Montgomery (AL) Public School System consists of all public schools in Montgomery County. There are over 32,000 students in the 32 elementary schools, ten junior/middle schools and four traditional high schools. In addition to these schools, the system has two non-traditional programs as well as three schools designed to educate the physically and/or mentally impaired. There are nine magnet schools that concentrate on areas such as: technology, accelerated academics, international studies, science and performing arts.

This system has had more National Merit and National Achievement Scholars than all the private schools in the tri-county area and public school systems in the Autauga and Elmore counties combined.

Guided by a students-first philosophy, the mission of the MPS is to maintain schools that are safe and caring communities where teachers teach and students learn at higher levels.

Montgomery School System Report Card (see the explaination below for the categories listed in the report)

For more information, registration and more, please visit the Montgomery County Public Schools online at http://www.mps.k12.al.us/.

Autauga County Schools
There are 12 public schools in the Autauga County system - six elementary, one middle/junior high, one junior high and two high schools. The system also has two K-12 schools. An interesting difference in this county is the housing of the students in the downtown district. The kindergarten students are in their own building, Prattville Kindergarten.

Inherent in Autauga school system mission is the belief that “schools should be safe, happy places where children look forward to coming each day to celebrate their joy for life and learning, that all children can learn, and that teaching should be adapted to the learning styles of those being taught.” 

Autauga School System Report Card (see the explaination below for the categories listed in the report)

For more information, school calendars and more, please visit the Autauga County Public Schools online at http://www.autaugacountyschool.org/.

Elmore County Schools
There are 15 public schools in the Elmore County system - five elementary, five junior highs, four high schools and one technical school. The Elmore County Public School System consists of four school communities; Eclectic, Holtville, Millbrook, and Wetumpka. Each community has the grade composition of kindergarten through twelfth grade. The student population numbers 10,869.
The philosophy of this school system is that: “Each student is seen as a unique person who possesses certain potential, needs, aspirations, and interests. As each student is different, the purpose of education is to provide appropriate experiences in school which develop maximum achievement so each individual will become a useful and productive member of society.” 

Elmore School System Report Card (see the explaination below for the categories listed in the report)

For more information about the Elmore County Public School System, please visit http://www.elmoreco.com.

School System Report Cards
Below are the explanations for each of the categories listed for the school report card. These numbers are reported each year by the Alabama Department of Education.

Enrollment:
Determined by the average number of students attending school after Labor Day.

Free/Reduced Price Meals:
Percentage of students that applied for and were approved for free or reduced price meals. It is an indicator of poverty.

Highly Qualified Teachers:
Percentage of classes taught by a teacher who is highly qualified by the State of Alabama in that class field. This qualification is defined and required by the federal legislation known as “No Child Left Behind.”

Safety & Discipline:
Breakdown of discipline issues during the 2005-2006 school year.

Adequate Yearly Progress:
Used by the “No Child Left Behind” legislation to describe whether a school has met its annual accountability goals. These goals are based on reading and mathematics testing, attendance, and graduation rate.

Alabama Reading & Mathematics Test:
Provides an assessment of students’ mastery of the content contained in the Alabama Course of Study. This reading and mathematics test is given in grades three through eight.

Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing:
Given to Alabama students in grades five, seven, and ten each year to measure their writing skills.

Dropout Rate:
Projected 4-year dropout rate based on the percent of students in the 9th grade in 2004-2005 who are projected to leave school prior to graduation in 2008. The grade compares this school to the state average.  (This is not an annual dropout rate.)

ACT Test:
Shows the average of the highest ACT score for the entire 2006 senior class in this school and the letter grade shows how it compares to the state average. The national average
is 21.1.