The Alabama State Department of Education released its 2025‑2026 school‑year report card on Saturday, and Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) celebrated a new high. The district earned a 76 overall score – the best it has ever recorded – up from 75 on the previous report card. That improvement helped lift the district’s standing among the state’s 155 school systems, which received an average score of 88, a solid B.

Key performance gains

District officials pointed to several specific areas where students are doing better:

• College and career readiness: The readiness metric rose from 63.93% to 76.39%.
• Graduation rate: MPS now graduates 82% of its students, narrowing the gap between graduation and college‑ and career‑readiness to six percentage points.
• Student attendance: Chronic absenteeism fell from 25% to 22%, the lowest rate the district has recorded.
• Priority schools: Five campuses have been removed from the state’s priority‑intervention list.

School‑by‑school progress

Nine schools improved their overall letter grades. Carver Elementary Arts Magnet and Floyd Middle Magnet School advanced from a B to an A. Pintlala Elementary and Catoma Elementary each moved from a D to a B, while King Elementary rose from a C to a B. Forest Avenue Academic Magnet maintained a perfect score of 100, and Bear Exploration Center, MacMillan International Academy and LAMP High School each earned a 99.

Leadership response

“We’re proud of this achievement, and even prouder of the work behind it,” said Dr. Zickeyous Byrd, superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools. “This report card reflects real progress built one classroom at a time. Our students are achieving more, our schools are opening new pathways, and our educators and families are moving this work forward together.”

Dr. Byrd added that the district’s momentum is “marked” and that the community will continue to raise the bar for student success across Montgomery.

Statewide context

Alabama’s overall education system serves 1,366 public schools and 725,315 students, earning an 88 overall score and a 92.77% graduation rate. While the state’s average remains higher than Montgomery’s current score, the district’s upward trend signals that local efforts are aligning with statewide goals.

What’s next

District leaders say the focus will remain on sustaining attendance improvements, expanding college‑and‑career pathways, and supporting schools that are still working to raise their grades. Community partners, parents and teachers are being invited to join advisory panels to ensure that the gains are durable and that every student in Montgomery has the opportunity to succeed.

For a full list of school scores and additional details, visit the Alabama State Department of Education’s website.

Original reporting: Alabama News Network — read the source article.