EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Summary:

EPIC Alternative Elementary School is a public elementary school in Birmingham, Alabama, serving 291 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Birmingham City School District.

EPIC Alternative stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently outpacing the Birmingham City School District and the state of Alabama in assessments. In 2023-2024, 76.92% of EPIC Alternative's 5th-grade students scored proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to just 15.63% for Birmingham City and 37.13% for Alabama. The school has particularly high achievement among African American students and those from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking 18th and 59th, respectively, out of hundreds of Alabama elementary schools in those categories. This is notable given that EPIC Alternative has a student population that is 93.47% African American, significantly higher than nearby schools like Edgewood Elementary and Shades Cahaba Elementary.

While EPIC Alternative outperforms the Birmingham City School District, some nearby schools in other districts, such as Mountain Brook Elementary, significantly outperform EPIC Alternative in academic assessments. This suggests that factors beyond just the school district may contribute to a school's success. Additionally, EPIC Alternative has shown impressive improvement over time, moving from the 453rd to the 109th best elementary school in Alabama between 2020-2021 and 2023-2024, with a corresponding increase in its SchoolDigger rating from 2 to 4 stars.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1000 10th Ave S
       Birmingham, AL  35205-4606


(205) 231-7370

District: Birmingham City

SchoolDigger Rank:
109th of 684 Alabama Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $16,113 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  17.1 Help
Number of students:  291

Racial breakdown:

African American:
93.5%
Hispanic:
2.7%
White:
2.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  52.6% Help


 See top rated Alabama elementary schools

 Compare EPIC Alternative Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details EPIC Alternative Elementary School ranks better than 84.1% of elementary schools in Alabama. It also ranks first among 26 ranked elementary schools in the Birmingham City School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.84. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (93.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), White (2.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 52.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at EPIC Alternative Elementary School is 17.1, which is the 9th best among 26 elementary schools in the Birmingham City School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare EPIC Alternative Elementary School employs 17 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at EPIC Alternative Elementary School is $16,113, which is the highest among 27 elementary schools in the Birmingham City School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

EPIC Alternative Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks EPIC Alternative Elementary School 109th of 684 Alabama public elementary schools. (See EPIC Alternative Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:


Birmingham City:

SchoolDigger ranks Birmingham City 117th of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for EPIC Alternative Elementary School?

Rank History for EPIC Alternative Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 58.15 261st 623 58.1%
2005 72.40 152nd 688 77.9%
2006 70.43 150th 689 78.2%
2007 61.39 282nd 698 59.6%
2008 72.63 150th 698 78.5%
2009 73.08 136th 696 80.5%
2010 58.47 332nd 704 52.8%
2011 67.63 223rd 709 68.5%
2012 59.12 339th 696 51.3%
2013 68.16 206th 696 70.4%
2014 61.44 248th 695 64.3%
2015 75.80 138th 691 80.0%
2016 70.26 172nd 691 75.1%
2017 68.12 188th 688 72.7%
2018 50.67 359th 680 47.2%
2019 64.15 231st 681 66.1%
2021 36.42 453rd 692 34.5%
2022 55.58 307th 687 55.3%
2023 87.18 62nd 680 90.9%
2024 81.84 109th 684 84.1%
See the entire list of Alabama Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 50.72 164th 392 58.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 81.42 55th 567 90.3%
2018 72.62 145th 651 77.7%
2019 71.66 118th 649 81.8%
2021 27.34 482nd 653 26.2%
2022 65.79 185th 651 71.6%
2023 83.18 51st 623 91.8%
2024 84.11 59th 670 91.2%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 68.74 171st 639 73.2%
2018 54.65 311th 640 51.4%
2019 64.63 206th 646 68.1%
2021 34.87 436th 656 33.5%
2022 45.01 368th 656 43.9%
2023 82.43 92nd 645 85.7%
2024 75.28 141st 650 78.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 61.01 236th 639 63.1%
2018 46.52 382nd 650 41.2%
2019 60.90 242nd 650 62.8%
2021 37.01 424th 669 36.6%
2022 61.49 238th 669 64.4%
2023 87.86 60th 649 90.8%
2024 83.43 80th 655 87.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.01 51st 423 87.9%
2019 88.20 30th 426 93.0%
2021 59.89 133rd 426 68.8%
2022 83.32 35th 426 91.8%
2023 98.56 5th 427 98.8%
2024 93.87 18th 420 95.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

EPIC Alternative Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Friday, December 23, 2016

Open Quote Do NOT send your kids here if they are white. They will be bullied by students and staff alike, which is beyond sad when you teach your young child not to see color yet the other families do not do the same. And when beat on, the teachers will not help the white student, but tell them they need to learn to fight back. Thats right, you heard me correct. They encourage physical fighting. We put the kids in the Waldorf school and homeschool instead of sending them here even though it is 1 block away from the house. Awful. Close Quote



Enrollment information for EPIC Alternative Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 571 571
1989 256 264 22 6 0 n/a n/a 0 548
1990 223 265 23 6 0 n/a n/a 0 517
1991 194 251 32 3 0 n/a n/a 0 480
1992 183 246 36 0 0 n/a n/a 0 465
1993 149 254 31 0 0 n/a n/a 0 434
1994 148 257 39 4 0 n/a n/a 0 448
1995 125 250 25 0 0 n/a n/a 0 400
1996 125 250 25 0 0 n/a n/a 0 400
1997 116 274 26 3 1 n/a n/a 0 420
1998 112 300 27 4 1 n/a n/a 0 444
1999 84 270 32 0 0 n/a n/a 0 386
2000 77 301 29 2 0 n/a n/a 0 409
2001 63 317 25 3 2 n/a n/a 0 410
2002 42 368 21 11 1 n/a n/a 0 443
2003 42 368 21 11 1 n/a n/a 0 443
2004 32 356 16 9 0 n/a n/a 0 413
2005 24 372 13 10 0 n/a n/a 0 419
2006 13 344 23 15 0 n/a n/a 0 395
2007 12 352 15 7 0 n/a n/a 0 386
2008 9 320 9 5 0 n/a n/a 0 343
2009 9 410 9 4 0 n/a n/a 0 432
2010 5 403 10 6 0 n/a n/a 0 424
2011 8 398 14 8 0 0 0 0 428
2012 6 389 17 13 0 0 0 0 425
2013 5 406 14 10 0 0 0 0 435
2014 5 431 12 16 0 0 1 0 465
2015 7 432 11 19 0 0 0 0 469
2016 10 438 9 17 0 0 1 0 475
2017 4 395 3 17 0 0 2 0 421
2018 5 384 4 16 0 0 1 0 410
2019 6 337 1 12 0 0 1 0 357
2020 7 329 2 9 0 2 2 0 351
2021 8 294 3 11 0 0 3 0 319
2022 10 280 4 15 0 0 3 0 312
2023 6 272 2 8 0 0 3 0 291

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at EPIC Alternative Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 571 38.0 15.0 0
1989 548 38.0 14.4 n/a
1990 517 35.0 14.7 0
1991 480 39.0 12.3 n/a
1992 465 39.0 11.9 n/a
1993 434 39.0 11.1 n/a
1994 448 39.0 11.5 n/a
1995 400 40.9 9.8 n/a
1996 400 40.9 9.8 n/a
1997 420 41.9 10.0 37.1
1998 444 41.7 10.6 32.2
1999 386 40.0 9.7 38.1
2000 409 39.0 10.5 40.1
2001 410 40.0 10.3 28.8
2002 443 39.5 11.2 38.4
2003 443 39.5 11.2 38.4
2004 413 36.8 11.2 33.4
2005 419 32.0 13.1 41.3
2006 395 34.0 11.6 39.5
2007 386 29.5 13.1 42.2
2008 343 25.0 13.7 42.6
2009 432 28.4 15.1 43.8
2010 424 31.2 13.5 50.9
2011 428 28.5 15.0 43.7
2012 425 31.5 13.4 58.4
2013 435 32.0 13.5 58.9
2014 465 30.0 15.5 54.4
2015 469 25.0 18.7 30.7
2016 475 24.0 19.7 31.2
2017 421 25.5 16.5 32.8
2018 410 26.5 15.4 54.6
2019 357 26.0 13.7 54.9
2020 351 21.0 16.7 53
2021 319 21.0 15.1 56.7
2022 312 17.0 18.3 52.9
2023 291 17.0 17.1 52.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio EPIC Alternative Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 571 38.0 15.0 0
1989 548 38.0 14.4 n/a
1990 517 35.0 14.7 0
1991 480 39.0 12.3 n/a
1992 465 39.0 11.9 n/a
1993 434 39.0 11.1 n/a
1994 448 39.0 11.5 n/a
1995 400 40.9 9.8 n/a
1996 400 40.9 9.8 n/a
1997 420 41.9 10.0 37.1
1998 444 41.7 10.6 32.2
1999 386 40.0 9.7 38.1
2000 409 39.0 10.5 40.1
2001 410 40.0 10.3 28.8
2002 443 39.5 11.2 38.4
2003 443 39.5 11.2 38.4
2004 413 36.8 11.2 33.4
2005 419 32.0 13.1 41.3
2006 395 34.0 11.6 39.5
2007 386 29.5 13.1 42.2
2008 343 25.0 13.7 42.6
2009 432 28.4 15.1 43.8
2010 424 31.2 13.5 50.9
2011 428 28.5 15.0 43.7
2012 425 31.5 13.4 58.4
2013 435 32.0 13.5 58.9
2014 465 30.0 15.5 54.4
2015 469 25.0 18.7 30.7
2016 475 24.0 19.7 31.2
2017 421 25.5 16.5 32.8
2018 410 26.5 15.4 54.6
2019 357 26.0 13.7 54.9
2020 351 21.0 16.7 53
2021 319 21.0 15.1 56.7
2022 312 17.0 18.3 52.9
2023 291 17.0 17.1 52.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for EPIC Alternative Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $4,396 (27.3%) $11,715 (72.7%) $16,113

Data source: Alabama Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on EPIC Alternative Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 231st of 681 Elementary schoolsRanks 62nd of 680 Elementary schools
 24.8%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (EPIC Alternative Elementary School)50.984.4
 33.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Birmingham City)30.819.1
 11.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Alabama)57.543.6
 13.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (EPIC Alternative Elementary School)56.460.5
 4.2%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Birmingham City)21.311.2
 10.1%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)47.334.9
 12.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (EPIC Alternative Elementary School)48.155.6
 7.5%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Birmingham City)21.312.6
 8.7%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.933.9
 10.9%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students357291
 18.5%
African American337272
 19.3%
American Indian00
Asian12
 100%
Hispanic128
 33.3%
Pacific Islander00
White66
Two or More Races13
 200%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients54.9%52.6%
 2.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about EPIC Alternative Elementary School

In the 2022-23 school year, 291 students attended EPIC Alternative Elementary School.

EPIC Alternative Elementary School ranks 109th of 684 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at EPIC Alternative Elementary School are 93% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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