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Education

Montgomery Public Schools

Educational leadership in the River Region emphasizes the importance of quality education, offers programs and opportunities for students of all ages and abilities, provides sufficient financial support, sets high curriculum standards, and hires teachers and administrators who are trained, motivated, and qualified in their subject.

Montgomery Public Schools has and enrollment of 31,743 students, and operates:

• 29 elementary schools
• 9 middle/junior high schools
• 4 high schools
• 9 magnet schools
• 1 alternative school
• 3 special education centers

The mission of Montgomery Public Schools is “to ensure all schools will be safe and caring communities where teachers teach and all students learn at higher levels.”   This is to ensure that Montgomery Public Schools realizes its vision of “One focus…preparing students for life.”  The 2008-2013 Montgomery Public Schools Strategic Plan entitled “Our Children, Our Community, and Our Future” is a living document that defines the goals and initiatives developed through the collaborative efforts of parents, teachers, staff, administrators, community members, and elected officials to help Montgomery Public Schools realize their vision of preparing students for life.

Montgomery Public Schools participates in the Alabama Reading Initiative, the goal of which is to significantly improve reading instruction and ultimately achieve 100 percent literacy among public school students. Teachers who teach through the Alabama Reading Initiative integrate the best practices of phonics and the whole-language approach to teach reading.

Montgomery Public Schools provides gifted programs at the elementary and middle/junior high level and opportunities for students to attend magnet schools.  At the senior high level, students may qualify to take advanced placement and honors courses as well as participate in the magnet school program. Magnet schools are thematic and include technology, science, performing arts, accelerated academics, and international studies.

Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School, known as Brew Tech is among the elite technical magnet high schools statewide. Brew Tech opened in August 2001, a product of a partnership between Montgomery Public Schools, the Montgomery City Council, and the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Brew Tech boasts a consistent 100% graduation rate According to Brew Tech graduates, the rigorous classes and technology-infused curriculum are important reasons for their academic success in college. Females and minority students majoring in math, science, engineering, and other technology-related fields have especially benefited from the Brew Tech experience. Brew Tech offers an academic curriculum that is enhanced through the integration of real-world experiences. These experiences are incorporated through the technology-driven small learning communities (career academies) within the school. Career academies at Brew Tech include college and career, e-commerce, engineering processing, graphic design, building science, information technology, and medical. Brew Tech is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges. Schools and students consistently score above the national average on the ACT college entrance examination.

According to a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report, four Montgomery schools are among the best in the nation. Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School (LAMP) was ranked 25th in the country and was named a Gold Medal school. The ranking is determined by a three-step process that includes ensuring that the schools serve all of their students well, using state proficiency standards as the measuring benchmarks, and measuring the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work. George Washington Carver High School, Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School and Booker T. Washington Magnet High School were all named bronze medalists.

Autauga County Public Schools

Autauga County Schools consists of 13 schools and more than 9,800 students.  The schools are hosted by the communities of Billingsley, Pine Level and Marbury, and the cities of Autaugaville and Prattville. 

Elmore County Schools

The Elmore County Public School System operates 15 schools with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.  All schools are accredited by the Alabama State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Lowndes County Public School District

Lowndes County Public Schools, located in historic Lowndes County, Alabama, serves approximately 2,100 students in grades K-12, and 300 students in Head Start Pre-K Programs via a consolidated Local Education Agency. 

Tallassee Public Schools

The City of Tallassee Public School System has an enrollment of more than 1900 students in grades K-12 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Private Schools

Montgomery offers a wide variety of private schools, including parochial schools. These educational institutions allow parents to select a curriculum and environment tailored to meet their specific goal for their child’s education, including religious instruction, emphasis on the arts, small class sizes, or special education.

Career & Technical Schools

Each public school in the area school systems provides introductory training in key economic sectors for junior/middle and high school students. All public school career and technical education courses are certified annually to business and industry standards by local business people. The certification process was awarded an ISO:9000 certification and is the only secondary program of its kind to be awarded this certification.

Trenholm State Technical College has two campuses (Patterson and Trenholm) in the Montgomery area with combined average enrollments of more than 1,500 students.  Graduates number approximately 500 per year. Between these two campuses, 35 occupational courses are offered. Every junior, middle and high school in the Montgomery Public School system provides all students with opportunities to learn a variety of technical skills appropriate for the workplace and soft skills needed to develop quality and reliable employees. An adult education center is also housed at Trenholm.

Trenholm now offers a two-year degree in automotive manufacturing technology and two additional short-term certificates in advanced manufacturing at its new $4 million state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing training center at its Patterson Campus.

Trenholm State also boasts one of the state’s most effective Training for Existing Business and Industry programs (TEBI). A priority initiative of the State’s Postsecondary arm, TEBI provides customized training for existing companies through area two-year colleges at competitive rates. Classes are offered when and where the company requires and can accommodate any size class. TEBI courses are available in a wide variety of areas including English as a Second Language, Spanish for the workplace, CPR, welding, electrical, computer applications, and leadership training, as well as many others.

Colleges and Universities

Eight colleges and universities in the city, with enrollment totaling more than 20,000, include Alabama State University, Auburn University Montgomery, Faulkner University, Huntingdon College, South University, Trenholm State Technical College, and Troy University Montgomery, along with Jones Law School. Auburn University's main campus is located just 45 miles from Montgomery with a total enrollment of more than 24,000 students.

College and University Enrollment (Full-Time Students)

• Alabama State University: 5,220
• Auburn University Montgomery: 5,305
• Faulkner University: 3,366
• Huntingdon College: 1,107
• South University: 665
• Trenholm State Technical College (Both Campuses): 1,734
• Troy University Montgomery: 3,441

Source: Alabama Commission on Higher Education, 2011

For further information contact the Chamber's Corporate Development staff at recruitment@montgomerychamber.com