Birmingham City Schools and city officials on Tuesday recognized four area schools among the state's 25 most improved and highlighted major gains in third-grade reading after a year of targeted supports and community programs.

Dr. L. Sullivan, superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, told the City Council that third-grade reading on grade level rose from about 53% in 2022-23 to 81% on the first iteration of the 2024-25 test and to 86% in summer testing. Sullivan said the district's overall report-card grade improved from a predominance of D and F ratings to a post-pandemic high of 74, with seven schools currently receiving an F.

The council and Mayor Randall Woodfin recognized Henry J. Oliver Elementary School, Richard Arrington Junior Elementary School, Inglenook Pre-K through 8 School and I3 Academy for making the state's top-25 most-improved list. Principals and school staff accepted commendations at the council meeting.

Dr. Sullivan credited a range of supports for the gains, including community volunteer efforts such as the Page Pals initiative, a $1,000,000 city allocation for school-based mental-health supports, and "Common Ground" programming directed at student engagement. "We have seen the largest year over year increase in enrollment in Birmingham City Schools in over 30 years," Sullivan said.

Representatives of the four schools told council members the recognition reflected work by teachers, staff, families and volunteers. I3 Academy's representative said the school serves about 800 students and staff of about 100 and that it ranked second in the state for improvement this year.

Mayor Woodfin and council members emphasized mentoring and early literacy as critical supports. The mayor earlier read a proclamation designating January 2025 as National Mentoring Month in Birmingham and invited Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham to speak about federal funding cuts affecting their operations.

No formal council actions were taken on education issues during the presentation.

The district said work continues on schools still graded F and that officials plan to push for further gains in the coming school year.

Quotes used in this article are drawn from remarks to the City Council during the Jan. 28 meeting.