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District Profile

Who

Who are we...

Mountain Brook Schools, a K-12 public school system in Mountain Brook, Alabama, was founded in 1959 and serves around 4,400 students across six schools—four elementary, one junior high, and one high school. With 26 administrators, including a Superintendent, the district is governed by a five-member Board of Education appointed by the City Council. The community provides strong support through high PTO involvement, donations to the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation, and collaboration with All In Mountain Brook. The district ranks among the top 100 STEM schools and is the highest-performing non-magnet school in Alabama. In 2022, 95% of MBHS seniors attended a four-year university with an average ACT score of 26.7, and the school boasts 24 National Merit Finalists in 2024 and 196 athletic state championships.

History

History

The City of Mountain Brook was incorporated in 1942 with two elementary schools under the Jefferson County school system. In June 1959, the city formed its own school system and appointed the first Board of Education, acquiring Crestline and Mountain Brook Elementary schools, as well as Mountain Brook Junior High. Due to population growth in the southern part of the city, Brookwood Forest Elementary was built in 1965, and the construction of a high school began, opening in 1966 with its first graduating class in 1968. Cherokee Bend Elementary, the system’s sixth school, was completed in 1969.

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Academics

  • State Leader in Academic Performance: The Mountain Brook system has consistently led the state on academic performance measures. For example, in the ACAP assessments, with standout results in English Language Arts, 95% of 2nd graders and 94% of 5th graders met or exceeded benchmarks. In mathematics, 90% of 2nd graders achieved proficiency, while 67% of 7th and 8th graders met the benchmarks. Science scores also improved, with 86% of 4th graders meeting the benchmark. Additionally, Mountain Brook's ACT average score of 25.2 in 2024 surpasses both state and national averages, while 24 students achieved National Merit Semifinalist status, and AP exam performance remains strong with 89% of scores at 3 or higher.
  • Almost All Students College Bound: Due to the high level of educational attainment among the parents in the community, virtually every student in the school system has aspirations of attending a college or university upon completion of his or her K-12 experience. These aspirations are usually fulfilled since on an annual basis, with 97-99% of the graduating seniors furthering their education. A small number of graduates enter the work force or military upon graduation. Since the vast majority of students will attend college, our school system does its best to provide a high quality of preparation for the collegiate experience. 
  • Benchmarking Similar High Schools: Our system has engaged in national benchmarking activities for several years. A benchmarking study compares the achievements of students in our high school with high schools across the country that have been identified as “top public high schools in the nation” by such publications as Money, Parade, Redbook, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report. Statistics are gathered in regard to SAT and ACT scores, Advanced Placement scores, and percentages of graduates attending four-year colleges and universities. Mountain Brook students compare very favorably when measured against students from top public schools across the country.

"Providing an effective, challenging, and engaging education for every one of our students"

Awards

  • Blue Ribbon Schools: Every school in Mountain Brook has garnered Blue Ribbon School recognition from the U.S. Department of Education at one point in its history. 
  • Top High School: Mountain Brook High School annually ranks among the top high schools in the country. In 2020, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 246th out of more than 17,790 American high schools, placing it among the top 1% of non-magnet schools nationally. MBHS was the top-ranked non-magnet school in Alabama and the state's only high school to rank among the nation's top 1,000 STEM schools, coming in at 184. 
  • ISTE 2016 Distinguished School District Award: Mountain Brook Schools was named the 2016 Distinguished District by the International Society for Technology in Education. The organization creates standards for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital age and represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide. Only one K-12 school district receives this award. 
  • National Merit Finalists: Mountain Brook has produced 786 National Merit Finalists since 1968, along with four Rhodes Scholars and 1 Fullbright Scholar.
  • Athletics: Mountain Brook has won more state athletic championships (196) than any other public school in Alabama. MBHS was named the top athletic program in the state of Alabama for the 2023-24 school year and the number 5 athletic program in the nation by MaxPreps.

Technology

A major effort in recent years to enhance an already strong system has been the infusion of technology into all of the schools and in all of the system’s day-to-day operations. All classrooms, media centers, offices, and computer labs, which house more than 2,200 computers/laptops, are connected to a Local Area Network. All six schools as well as the central office are connected with fiber optic lines to form the Wide Area Network. All computers are connected to the Internet and all have both internal and external e-mail capabilities. 

In addition, each classroom is equipped with a telephone that serves as the school’s public announcement system and provides voice mail for each staff member. A district technology coordinator directs the efforts of six local school technology specialists and four district technical support specialists. All classrooms are equipped with a mounted data projector, document camera, sound enhancement system, and teaching computer; additional desktop computers are available in all elementary classrooms. 

All schools have wireless networks for district-owned and personal devices. All schools have hardwired labs and wireless laptop labs as well as companion devices for teacher use and student use at a ratio of 1:1. All K-1 classrooms are equipped with mounted Promethean interactive whiteboards. Much more information regarding district technology can be accessed at the technology department page.

Staff and Services

A philosophy of our founding school was to hire quality teachers and maintain low class sizes. Mountain Brook Schools has followed this practice through its history. All elementary schools have a full-time media specialist, music, art, and physical education teachers, technology coordinator, counselor, reading coach, math coach, and Spanish teacher.

In addition, there are programs for children with special needs, and each elementary school has an enrichment teacher who works with academically advanced students. The system has an exemplary program for students who qualify for special education services. In spring 2012, our special education program was monitored by the Alabama State Department of Education. The program was given a Level One ranking – the highest possible rank.

The school district invests substantially in the professional development of all employees. One of the highest honors the district has achieved occurred in 2000 when the U.S. Department of Education recognized the Mountain Brook Schools Professional Development program as a national model. At that time, only 12 school districts had earned this award.

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