Population Growth Slows As Immigration is Curtailed
Population growth in Alabama and across the country has slowed, particularly when it comes to immigrants coming from abroad, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The estimates cover the period between July 2024 and July 2025.
Domestic migration into Alabama also decreased but remains higher compared to rates seen in the first two decades of the century. Due to an aging population and lower birth rates, deaths continue to outnumber births in the state. Thus, without in-migration, Alabama’s population would be declining modestly.
The Census Bureau estimates that by July 2025, Alabama was home to 5.2 million people, an increase of about 30,000 people or 1% compared to 2024. Alabama ranked No. 15 among U.S. states in population growth and No. 20 in percentage population increase over the period.
Even as growth slows, Southern states continued to outpace states in most other regions. South Carolina was No. 1 in rate of growth, and Texas was No. 1 in numeric population gain, adding almost 400,000 over the period. North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee also ranked in the top 10 for numeric growth. Western states like Idaho, Utah, Washington, and Arizona were also leaders in population growth.
Five states saw population declines, according to the estimates: California, Hawaii, Vermont, New Mexico, and West Virginia.
In 2024, Alabama’s population growth had accelerated to its highest level in decades, adding almost 50,000, but in 2025, growth slowed, according to the estimates.
In 2025, Alabama attracted about 15,000 fewer people through migration. Deaths outpaced births by a slightly wider margin than in 2024.
International migration to Alabama dropped by 13,156, compared to 2024, while domestic migration was down by 1,595.
Despite the slower growth, Alabama’s rate of domestic migration ranked No. 11 in 2025. The domestic migration rate estimates the number of residents from other states moving into a state and adjusts for the receiving state’s population.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s rate of international immigration ranked No. 42 in the US. Historically, Alabama has attracted new residents from abroad at a lower rate than most other states. The most recent estimates capture the last seven months of the Biden administration and the first five months of the Trump administration.
After a surge of immigration in the early years of the Biden Administration, new policies drove down unauthorized crossings sharply in 2024. That trend has continued and accelerated under the Trump Administration, along with a decline in authorized immigration. Thus, the current decline in international immigration is likely to continue.
Alabama’s unemployment rate has been consistently below the U.S. rate since 2019, which appears to be attracting new residents from other states. Census estimates from last year show that population gains are concentrated in metro counties, particularly in North Alabama near Huntsville. Increasing numbers of retirees seeking a warm coastal climate continue to drive growth in Baldwin County on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s rate of natural population change is weighed down by a higher death rate than most states. Alabama’s death rate is the fifth-highest in the U.S. Only West Virginia, Mississippi, Maine, and Arkansas have rates that are higher. These states tend to share characteristics like elevated poverty, poor health outcomes, and lower rates of access to health care providers.
Keys to Success in College and Career Readiness
This spring, all Alabama high school graduates will have to earn a marker of college and/or career readiness in order to graduate.1
In this installment of PARCA’s Keys to Success series, we visit Opp High School, which has been one of the state’s most successful schools at producing college and career-ready graduates. In fact, for five years running, more seniors were college or career-ready (CCR) than actually earned a diploma.
In 2024, 94% of Opp’s seniors graduated (beating the state average of 92%), and 99% of seniors ended the year with a marker of college and career readiness, a CCR rate that is 10 percentage points higher than the state average.
How do they do it?
More attention per student thanks to small school size
A close dual enrollment partnership with the local community college
Creative use of practical, local opportunities for students to earn Career Technical Education credits and credentials
Practice and deliberate effort on the measures that qualify students for college readiness
PARCA’s Keys to Success series identifies schools and systems that are exceeding expectations and explores how they are doing it. The series aims to identify and share best practices.
Small Town Personalized Attention
The City of Opp, located in rural Covington County, was formerly a textile mill town. Despite the closing of the textile mills, Opp has maintained a stable population of around 6,700 people since 2000.
The school system produces between 80 and 90 graduates per year, which ranks among the 20 smallest school systems in the state. Opp’s percentage of students from economically disadvantaged households is higher than the state average. Thanks to federal anti-poverty education dollars, Opp’s per-student expenditure was slightly above the state average in 2023.
In some ways, that small size helps Opp. The high school is the center of activity and energy for the entire community. That keeps students and the community engaged.
“What is going on at school is the hottest thing in town. That is very much an asset for us,” said Opp High School Principal Matt Blake.
A smaller school can, in some instances, mean each student receives extra attention. For example, in addition to a traditional guidance counselor, Opp High School has a full-time career coach, who works with the counselor, to make sure all students have a plan to progress through school on a trajectory that points toward one of the “three e’s”: graduating from high school, either Enrolled, Employed, or Enlisted.
Student preparation for college and career readiness begins in middle school, with the career coach visiting students and making them aware of potential career pathways. During orientation, rising ninth graders and their parents are presented with career options, and students begin developing four-year plans to meet both academic and college- and career-readiness markers they’ll need to graduate.
Once at the high school, the counseling suite is highly visible, located at the top of the high school stairs, with glass windows for walls. The visibility serves as a reminder to students of the stream of opportunities available. Opp has a regular stream of visits from college, employment, and military recruiters.
When Blake moved to Opp from Gulf Shores in 2022, he brought his career coach, Courtney Blake, with him. She also happens to be his wife. The two have creatively conspired to leverage resources to expose students to college and career opportunities.
Community College Collaboration
A primary partner in the CCR enterprise is Opp’s community college, the MacArthur branch of Lurleen B Wallace Community College (LBW).
In the past, more than half of Opp graduates flowed into LBW after graduation. More recently, the relationship is even tighter and starts earlier through dual enrollment. Opp students, while still in high school, make up a healthy share of the college’s enrollment.
In fact, Opp now delivers all its college-caliber courses in partnership with LBW, rather than offering Advanced Placement courses at the high school.
In the 2024-2025 school year, Opp students took almost 400 credit hours at LBW, including college-level courses in English and history, calculus, biology, and psychology. That total also included about 52 career tech classes, including industrial maintenance, engines, computer science, and cosmetology. Opp High School students also took aviation courses through Enterprise State Community College.
Some students attend classes on the LBW campus. In other cases, an LBW instructor may come to the high school campus to lead class two days a week, with students led by Opp teachers the other three days, who focus on ACT prep skills and strategies. Opp High School also has its own teachers who are certified to teach dual-enrollment classes on campus at OHS, but through LBW.
Both academic and career-tech courses taken through LBW count toward degrees or certifications. The academic courses can be transferred to universities, allowing Opp graduates to start college with a bank of credits toward a degree.
Taking Creative Advantage of Available Opportunities
Opp isn’t a big city full of employers and businesses that can offer internships or sponsor training programs for high school students. But the Opp High has a tradition of Career and Technical Education programs that creatively intersect with school and community needs.
Plant Science teacher, Josh Kyser, is a graduate of the turfgrass management program he now leads. After graduating from Opp, he continued in the field at Auburn, which led to a career in golf course management and design.
Family ties eventually drew him back to Opp, and after a few twists and turns, he was recruited to serve as the City of Opp’s director of Parks and Recreation. The City maintains the high school’s fields, so he had a close relationship with the school. Eventually, high school leaders persuaded him to lead the program that had launched his career.
The horticulture class helps care for the school’s athletic fields, which, over time, can lead to students earning turfgrass management and plant biotechnology certifications. Meanwhile, through a competitive grant program, Opp won extra career-tech funding to put students to work and in class during the summer on a school field project.
The students worked with the City and the county on a project to grade and pave a road from the school to the athletic field. Through their summer work, the students earned money and certifications for operating skid steers, mini-excavators, and bulldozers. Those certifications have real value in the employment marketplace.
In another summer project, students in the plant biotechnology classes designed and constructed a pollinator garden. Students also planted and tended vegetable and herb gardens, projects that were also funded in part with CTE money won through a competitive grant.
This fall, that pollinator garden was fluttering with butterflies and darting with hummingbirds. The vegetable and herb gardens yielded beans, collards, Brussels sprouts, and other ingredients that contributed to a community banquet organized by the students in the food and nutrition program.
In preparing for the event, students earned ServeSafe certifications, a credential often required for those working in the restaurant industry. The preparation and execution also dovetailed with nutrition science course credits.
Increasing College Readiness
Opp High School has also ramped up student preparation for four-year colleges, focusing on improving performance on the ACT college admissions test.
Historically, most college-bound Opp graduates started at a community college, then transferred to four-year universities after earning college credits.
With the sharp rise in students taking community college courses in high school, students are in a better position to go straight to a four-year college after graduation. However, that means ACT scores take on more importance for college admission and scholarships.
Blake, who spent time as a football coach, recognizes the value of practice.
So, in his effort to improve student performance on the ACT, Blake created more opportunities for students to take the test. The school pays for ninth-graders to take the Pre-ACT, in addition to administering it to 10th-graders in the fall.
The school then offers students a first attempt at the ACT in the spring semester of their 10th-grade year.
In January, teachers begin reviewing the test and have students take a mock version of the ACT.
They take mock versions again in February. Using a digital test reader, students receive immediate results. Teachers identify questions that tripped up students and talk through the answers, and address the underlying skill.
Students participate in a two-day ACT boot camp. The school brings in an ACT specialist in Math and ELA to lead a two-day intensive review before the last mock exam. This allows students to use the strategies and tips from the last mock exam to build confidence in their abilities.
In late March, juniors take the real test, the required junior year administration.
Blake concedes that he has greatly increased the emphasis on the ACT. However, he doesn’t think that emphasis distracts from educational goals. “Test-taking skills aren’t frivolous,” he said. “It teaches problem-solving and critical thinking. And they’ll have to take similar tests in college or if they apply to graduate school.”
Results
Between 2023 and 2024, the percentage of students earning a benchmark score on the ACT leapt from 34% in 2023 to 52% in 2024, exceeding the state benchmarking rate of 42%
The Opp graduating class of 2024 posted major gains on the ACT in every subject, outperforming the state in all four subjects.
The college-going rate in Opp rose from 62% in 2022 to 68% in 2024, far exceeding the state college-going rate of 57%.
The gains were particularly pronounced in the percentage of students who went straight to a four-year college after graduating from high school, rising from 10% in 2022 to 31% in 2024.
Conclusion
Blake said Opp’s success has resulted from long-term planning by the school, students, the system, and the state.
The school works with students and parents, beginning in middle school, to chart a student’s path through choices and courses that lead to a college or career goal. The school works with local partners such as LBW Community College, Opp’s Mizell Memorial Hospital, and the City of Opp to expand work and internship opportunities for students.
The school also works with the system and the state to pay for enhanced opportunities. The school has been aggressive and creative in pursuing grants and establishing budget priorities in order to pay for novel CTE programs, summer work opportunities, and intensive ACT training for faculty and students.
As the requirement that all students earn a CCR credential goes into effect this fall, the State Department of Education and the governor’s office have indicated continued support for enhanced investment in College and Career Readiness. The Governor’s proposed budget maintains support for career coaches and for K-12 career tech programs and initiatives. The budget proposes increasing support for dual enrollment through the Alabama Community College System by $10 million. The Legislature will consider the budget during its session, which opened earlier this month.
Footnotes
In order to demonstrate college and career readiness, a student must achieve one of the following: 1. Score college-ready in at least one subject on the ACT 2. Score at the silver level or above on the WorkKeys Assessment. 3. Earn a passing score on an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Exam. 4. Successfully earn a Career Technical Education credential or earn Career and Technical Education (CTE) completer status. 5. Earn dual enrollment credit at a college or university. 6. Successfully enlist in the military. 7. Complete a CTE program of study. 8. Complete an in-school youth apprenticeship. ↩︎
New Data Shows Progress on Third Grade Reading Continues
Due to a new higher standard, the number and percentage of third graders who failed to meet the grade-level reading benchmark rose in 2025. However, taking the higher standard into account, this year’s third graders showed continued improvement, indicating that the state’s focus on improving early grades literacy is continuing to pay dividends.
This spring, 11.6% of students failed to reach the benchmark on the Reading portion of the state’s standardized test, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP). Had the higher bar been in place in 2024, 13.7% of 3rd graders would have scored below the cut. In 2023, 20.8% of 3rd Graders would have scored below the cut.
In 2025, more students, 49,460, cleared the bar despite the higher standard. At the same time, more students, 6,470, fell below the reading sufficiency benchmark. The 2025 cohort of third graders is larger than previous years. That could mean more students will be required to repeat third grade. However, students who scored below the benchmark are offered intensive summer instruction, retesting, and alternative ways to qualify for promotion.
Improved performance
For the second year, the biggest gains in the percentage of third graders clearing the reading benchmark have occurred predominantly in rural school systems in the Black Belt. Those systems have high rates of economic disadvantage among students and have traditionally trailed other systems on various academic measures, but they have been making gains in reading.
This year, only 4% of Wilcox County students scored below grade level. That puts the system in the top 20 for performance, even though 91% of students in Wilcox County are economically disadvantaged.
Two systems, Orange Beach and Satsuma, had all their tested third graders reading on grade.
Breaking the Connection Between Poverty and Poor Reading Performance
While there is still a correlation between higher levels of economic disadvantage and high rates of reading struggles, the relationship has gotten weaker over time, with more high-poverty systems, particularly in rural areas, improving performance.
Other high-poverty systems, often in urban areas, are still struggling to close the gap. Large urban systems like Montgomery County and Birmingham City have higher concentrations and larger numbers of students testing below grade level. However, those systems also have magnet schools where all students achieved the reading benchmark. Within larger school systems, schools with similar demographics vary significantly when it comes to reading results.
The scatterplot chart below compares the percentage of students in the school who are below grade level on reading to the percentage of students from economically disadvantaged households. The higher on the chart a system is, the better its reading performance. The systems shaded green and lying to the right are schools with lower economic disadvantage. The size of the system’s circle corresponds to the number of third graders who failed to achieve the reading benchmark.
Schools
Despite the higher bar, in 42 schools, all third graders who were tested passed the reading benchmark. That included Princeton Elementary in the Birmingham system and three schools in the Montgomery County System: Bear Exploration Center, Macmillan International at McKee, and Forest Avenue Elementary School. The schools where all third graders met the benchmark ranged from Georgiana, where 86% of students are from economically disadvantaged households, to Mountain Brook and Crestline elementary schools, where only 2% of students are economically disadvantaged.
The two schools with the largest number of third graders who are below grade level in reading are virtual schools: the Alabama Virtual Academy at Eufaula City Schools, where 421 students, or 37%, failed to make the benchmark, and the Alabama Connections Academy of Limestone County, where 290 students, or 32% scored under the benchmark.
For Students Who Failed to Score At or Above the Benchmark
The 6,480 students who failed to reach the benchmark are in jeopardy of being required to repeat 3rd grade, under the terms of the Alabama Literacy Act. However, there are several routes for promotion to the fourth grade.
Students who failed to clear the new reading sufficiency benchmark have access to intensive summer literacy camps sponsored by local school systems. After the intervention, they will be able to retest.
If they still fail to clear the bar, teachers and school officials have alternative means for evaluating the students’ reading skills. Other good-faith exemptions exist. In 2024, 4,808 students failed to pass the reading sufficiency benchmark. After retesting and applying exemptions, only 452 students were retained due to the Literacy Act, according to the Alabama Daily News reporting.
Second Grade Results
Also included in the data release were second-grade results. The cut score also went up for second grade. The second-grade score is intentionally set at a higher threshold so that more students who might be encountering reading struggles can be identified and receive intervention. Due to the higher bar, more students failed to meet the grade level sufficiency benchmark, 19% in 2025 compared to 17% in 2024. The 10,423 second-grade students who scored below the benchmark were encouraged to attend summer literacy camps and should receive special attention throughout their third-grade year.
Background
The intense interest in 3rd-grade reading is the result of the 2019 Literacy Act. The Act was modeled on similar legislation enacted in Florida and Mississippi. Both of those states saw large gains in reading performance on national standardized tests. The laws are based on the premise that students have to be reading on grade level by fourth grade. Students are taught to read from Kindergarten through third grade. In fourth grade, students are expected to read material to learn.
Numerous studies have found that students who aren’t reading on grade level by fourth grade are more likely to struggle academically and fail to complete high school. Low literacy skills are associated with difficulties in the job market and poor health outcomes.
While the Literacy Act’s grade retention provision received attention, the more consequential portions of the bill were its increased investment in improving literacy instruction, early screening for reading difficulties, and requirements for interventions and communication with parents. The Act re-energized the Alabama Reading Initiative and led to statewide training of teachers in techniques grounded in the science of reading.
Since implementation, Alabama has seen various measures of reading performance rise. Alabama is one of only two states (Louisiana is the other) in which 4th-grade students are performing better in reading than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).
Huntsville Continues to Surge, Remaining Big 3 Cities Jockey for Position, while Rural Areas Lose Population in 2024
New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau place Mobile as the state’s second-largest city, behind booming Huntsville and ahead of Birmingham and Montgomery, both of which saw population declines according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mobile’s new status takes into account the city’s 2023 annexations of neighborhoods in Mobile County that were expected to add about 20,000 to the city’s population. According to revised Census estimates, the city jumped from less than 190,000 before 2020 to almost 210,000, pushing it well ahead of Birmingham which, for 2024, had an estimated population of 196,818.
However, despite its annexation bump, Census estimates show Mobile is still losing population, dropping by over 500 over the past year to an estimated 201,367. Birmingham and Montgomery are also continuing to see population declines. If current trends prevail, the three cities seem destined to continue jockeying back and forth. Currently, the population estimates have Birmingham in third, just in front of Montgomery, at 195,818.
The biggest surprise of the estimates was the small Jefferson County hamlet of Brookside, which had the highest population growth rate of any municipality in the state at 13.2%. The town added 158 residents, bringing its total to 1,357 residents. The town has a new neighborhood under construction that appears to be drawing new residents. Small towns and cities around Huntsville and in Shelby and St. Clair counties, outside of Birmingham, saw higher rates of growth in percentage terms, as did suburban cities around Montgomery. Small towns in Wiregrass surrounding Dothan and Enterprise also showed growth in percentage terms. And several Baldwin County communities ranked near the top in terms of percentage growth.
In terms of growth in numbers, the city of Huntsville is the state champ, drawing in another 4,174 new residents in 2024. The City of Madison, Huntsville’s suburban neighbor, added 3,007, ranking third in the state in numeric growth, and Athens, which also borders Huntsville, added 1,641, ranking fourth.
The City of Foley in Baldwin County grew by 3,012, ranking second in the state in numeric terms and tying for second in percentage growth at 12%. Foley’s fellow Baldwin County city of Loxley also grew 12%. Fairhope added 1,011 according to the estimates, ranking 8th in the state. Gulf Shores and Daphne also ranked in the state’s top 20 in the number of residents added.
Cross state rivals Tuscaloosa and Auburn continue to grow with Auburn adding 1,310 to edge out Tuscaloosa’s gain of 1,272 new residents. Auburn also has the secret weapon of Opelika next door, which added 1,313 new residents in 2024. That far outpaces Northport which grew by 280. Together, Tuscaloosa and Northport have about 150,00 residents compared to Auburn and Opelika’s 120,000.
Exploring Seed Investing in Alabama
Economic development—using public funds to incentivize private economic investments—is a core government function practiced by both parties and at all levels of government.
Numerous public and public-private partnerships in Alabama are tasked with some form of economic development, including the Alabama Innovation Commission. One of the Commission’s goals is to build up Alabama’s technology sector, including start-ups.
One strategy sometimes used to support such a goal is investor tax credits, including angel investing credits. Twenty-five states currently provide some form of investor incentive tax credit programs, a number of which offer refundable credits to out-of-state investors with no in-state tax liability.
Alabama has no such incentive program that directly benefits out-of-state investors.
New PARCA research asks if investor tax credits are an efficient way for Alabama to enhance its technology sector.
On January 18, 2023, Governor Kay Ivey issued Executive Order 730, establishing the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning. The executive order charged the 13 Commission members with providing thorough and thoughtful recommendations for enhancing the quality of elementary and secondary education in Alabama.
The Commission met eight times, hearing from state and national educational leaders, as well as receiving input from the public. Based on the information gathered, the Commission issued a series of recommendations contained in a final report issued in December 2023.
Alabama Can Improve Student Achievement and Prepare a Future Workforce: Here’s How-Part 2 seeks to refocus attention on recommendations, particularly those supported by the Legislature, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Education, and which are showing results. Items examined includefully funding key academic initiatives, attracting and retaining teachers, improving the learning environment, and supporting students from early childhood to career.
As the report states, in the Spring of 2024, the percentage of Alabama 3rd graders scoring proficient on the state standardized test of English Language Arts (ELA) jumped by nine percentage points to 62%, a remarkable increase rarely seen in educational statistics.
Even more encouraging, economically disadvantaged third graders made even greater gains compared to the prior year, a 13-percentage point increase in ELA proficiency, up to 53%. That produced the smallest gap in proficiency rates between economically disadvantaged and all students since the test, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP), was launched in 2021.
That’s progress on educational disparity, a central challenge for Alabama, as highlighted in the Governor’s Commission’s report.
This progress did not occur randomly. It follows five years of committed policy from and sustained investment by the Governor, the Alabama Legislature, the Alabama Board of Education, and the Alabama Department of Education. That investment more than doubled the amount spent on K-3 reading instruction to over $140 million annually in support of the Alabama Literacy Act of 2019.
Joe Morton, the chairman and president of the Business Education Alliance of Alabama states, “This report proves that the right amount of funding spent on the right initiatives propels Alabama’s schools and future workforce forward at the speed necessary to keep Alabama’s economic engine running soundly.”
The report will be shared with Governor Kay Ivey, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, State Superintendent Eric Mackey, members of the State Board of Education, and each member of the Alabama Legislature.
Most Alabama Cities Grow; Losses Moderate
After being hit hard with declines during the Covid-19 pandemic, Birmingham and Mobile saw an ebb in population declines, while Huntsville and cities in Baldwin County, along with Auburn-Opelika and Tuscaloosa, continued to grow at a rapid pace. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates released this month point to widespread growth in cities in the northern tier of the state, and in the Wiregrass.
Populations in smaller towns of the Alabama Black Belt, and west and central Alabama continue to decline modestly, according to the estimates. The population also dropped in Montgomery. The capital city didn’t lose as many people as Birmingham in the first year of the pandemic but has seen steady losses over the past three years.
Montgomery’s estimated population decline of 1,657 was the largest drop among Alabama cities and compares to a decline of 695 in Mobile and 243 in Birmingham.
That allowed Birmingham to return to No. 2 in population among Alabama cities. Huntsville continues to move farther into the lead, with a population now topping 225,000.
In terms of metro area population, Birmingham is still more than twice as large, but growth there is occurring away from the central city.
Close-in suburbs Vestavia, Mountain Brook, and Homewood saw population declines, but farther from the city center, Shelby County cities like Chelsea, Pelham, and Calera saw growth.
Despite declines in Montgomery, Pike Road, Prattville, and Millbrook saw increases.
While Huntsville added the most people, adjacent Athens and not-too-distant Decatur and Florence are continuing to see population growth.
Though Mobile County cities are experiencing some population declines, it is clear that the growth in nearby Baldwin County is coming from domestic in-migration. Far more people are arriving in cities like Fairhope, Foley, Daphne, and Gulf Shores than the population declines in Mobile County would produce.
When looking at the entire country, it is plain to see that whatever population change is going on in Alabama pales in comparison to the movement in other parts of the country. New York City’s population declined by over 77,000 in 2023 according to the estimates. Meanwhile, Texas cities like Fort Worth and San Antonio passed more than 20,000 new residents apiece. Closer to home, Atlanta added over 12,000, Charlotte over 15,000, and Jacksonville, Fla, over 14,000.
Please consider supporting PARCA. A contribution to PARCA is an investment in our state’s future. As a 501(c)3, charitable contributions allow PARCA to maintain its independence and ability to provide non-partisan support to communities throughout the state. All donations are tax deductible.
Graduation and College and Career Readiness
More Alabama high school students graduated ready for college or careers in 2023, according to data recently released by the Alabama Department of Education.
Students in the Class of 2023 made gains on all measures, bouncing back from the setbacks suffered during the pandemic and closing the gap between the percentage of students receiving a diploma and the percentage of students meeting the definition of college and career readiness: 91% of seniors graduated, 84% of seniors were college and career ready. That’s the highest readiness rate ever recorded.
The results show progress toward a goal established by the state Legislature and adopted by the State Board of Education that all students demonstrate college and career readiness in order to graduate.
More seniors graduated in 2023, even though this cohort of seniors was smaller than the Class of 2022. Alabama’s college and career readiness rate (CCR) increased by five percentage points over the levels recorded in 2022.
In percentage terms, student readiness increased on every measure. However, college readiness, as measured by scores on the ACT, is still lower for the Class of 2023 than it was for graduating classes before the pandemic.
Close behind were big gains in the number of students earning the CCR by successfully completing career-oriented courses taught at high schools, vocational centers, or community colleges, courses known as career technical education. Also, the number and percentage of students earning a career-ready score on ACT’s WorkKeys test increased. A deeper dive into 2023 WorkKeys results is available here. The number of students earning credit through dual enrollment courses at community colleges or universities also increased.
Alabama’s high school graduation rate is among the highest in the country, though that is a relatively recent phenomenon. In 2012, Alabama’s high school graduation rate was 75%, trailing the national average of 80%. By 2018, Alabama’s graduation rate had climbed to 90%, exceeding the U.S. rate of 85%. In 2022, the most recent available year for comparison, Alabama’s graduation rate was tied with the U.S. at 88%.
With the sharp rise in the graduation rate came concerns that some students were being awarded diplomas but weren’t prepared for the next step. In 2018, despite that 90% graduation rate, Alabama’s college and career readiness rate was still at 75%.
Pressure to close that gap between graduation and college and career readiness has been building. Last year, the Legislature passed a requirement that by 2026, all students, in order to graduate, must have met one of the Alabama Board of Education’s definitions of college and career readiness. The Legislature subsequently provided $25 million in FY 2024 to support schools in expanding opportunities for college and career readiness. Last year, Gov. Ivey’s Commission on Teaching and Learning recommended allocating $25 million in ongoing support for the grant program.
Students can demonstrate that they are ready for college or the workforce in several ways:
Achieve a benchmark score in one subject on the ACT. Benchmarking on the ACT indicates that a student is likely to succeed in a college class in that subject.
Earn a Silver Certification or above on the ACT WorkKeys test. WorkKeys is a test of knowledge, communication, and comprehension as they are applied in the workplace. Scoring Silver or above indicates a student is ready to enter the workforce in most career fields.
Earn college credit through Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses taken in high school.
Earn college credit through dual enrollment. A high school student can complete courses at a community college or university while in high school. These can be academic or career-related courses.
Complete a progression of Career Technical Education courses in a field.
Earn an Industry Recognized Credential as part of a career technical education course.
Participate successfully in an In-School Youth Apprenticeship Program approved by the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship.
Successfully enlist in the military.
While progress is being made, gaps remain.
In 29 school systems, all graduates were college and/or career-ready. In 20 of those systems, more seniors were college and career-ready than graduated.
On the other hand, in six school systems, the CCR rate was 20 percentage points lower than the graduation rate, indicating that 20% or more of the students who received diplomas hadn’t demonstrated readiness for college or the workforce.
The gaps in graduation rates between subgroups within the school population are relatively narrow: 93% of White students graduate compared to 89% of Black Students and 87% of Hispanic students. Gaps are wider when it comes to college and career readiness: 89% of White students graduate college and career-ready, but only 76% of Blacks and 79% of Hispanics do. Looking at the individual CCR measures, the gap between Blacks and Whites is highest in the percentage of students benchmarking on the ACT. It’s narrowest in terms of the percentage of students earning credit through career technical education. In that category, Black and Hispanic students have a higher CCR rate than Whites.
Using the tabs and menus in the visualization, you can explore the results for individual schools and school systems.
Please consider supporting PARCA. A contribution to PARCA is an investment in our state’s future. As a 501(c)3, charitable contributions allow PARCA to maintain its independence and ability to provide non-partisan support to communities throughout the state. All donations are tax deductible.
PARCA Partners with VOICES on 30th Edition of Alabama Kids Count Data Book
Since 1994, the Alabama Kids Count Data Book has documented and tracked the health, education, safety, and economic security of children at the state and county levels.
For the 30th edition, VOICES also interviewed the directors of Alabama’s child-serving agencies and included excerpts.
The Data Book serves as both a benchmark and roadmap for how children are faring and is used to raise visibility of children’s issues, identify areas of need, set priorities in child well-being and inform decision-making at the state and local levels.
Below are some of the findings from this year’s data:
– Children of color and children in poverty are shown to have much poorer outcomes and much poorer achievements in education.
– Child population continues to decrease. Over the last year, the number of children grew in only 20 of 67 counties.
– Children in Alabama are becoming increasingly more diverse ethnically and racially. While white and Black child populations are declining, since 2000, Hispanic children grew approximately 276%. The Asian/Pacific Islander population grew by 120%.
– The infant mortality rate has slightly decreased from 8.1 to 7.6 per 1,000 live births from 2011-2021. In real numbers, that means that 443 babies did not live to their 1st birthday in 2021. Maternity care is critical. 34.3% of Alabama counties are defined as maternity care deserts. More than 28% of Alabama women had no birthing hospital within 30 minutes, which is more than double the U.S. rate.
– In 2022, the percentage of Alabama high school students meeting college and career ready requirements was 79.1% from 76.5% in 2021.
– 2023 Work-based learning programs (Dual Enrollment and Career Training Programs) are estimated to have had an economic impact of $420,209,126.
– From 2015-2023 there has been a 16.9% increase in the number of children entering foster care services. Parental drug use is the leading reason for children entering foster care, making up 44%, followed by neglect at 22%.
– 10.4% of children in the state are living in extreme poverty. Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected (38.3% and 36.7% respectively), while white children make up 13.5% of children in extreme poverty.
See how children in all 67 counties of our state are faring in education, health, economic security, and more. VOICES believers that every child in Alabama should have access and opportunity to thrive and become all they can be, and hopes that by utilizing this book’s insights, we can identify the challenges, set priorities, track our progress, and achieve real outcomes for children and families.
Want to see this data at the national level? Visit the national KIDS COUNT Data Center to access hundreds of indicators, download data and create reports and graphics!
Revisiting PARCA’s Annual Forum
Housing inventory continues to fall, and prices continue to rise. Pressures on the housing market ripple across the economy but may have the most significant impact on middle-income workers – those earning between 80% and 120% of the median income. As housing prices increase, middle-income workers often struggle to live where they work. The shortage of affordable housing complicates hiring and threatens our economic health and community vitality.
For example, while median income in Alabama is $60,000. The median home sale price in January was $263,000, one of the largest gaps in our history. Likewise, the Alabama median income supports rent of $1,240, but average rent for a three-bedroom apartment in Alabama is $1,500.
These challenges were the focus of PARCA’s 2024 Annual Forum: Housing Alabama’s Workforce.
The March 7 event welcomed over 300 state and local leaders gathered at the Harbert Center on March 8 to consider these issues and hear an address from Governor Kay Ivey.
PARCA Annual Forum 2024PARCA Annual Forum 2024Governor Kay Ivey’s lunch addressPARCA Annual Forum 2024
The speakers explored the housing challenges facing the state’s middle-income workers—those vital to the economy and well-functioning communities, such as teachers, nurses, and first responders.
Lisa McCarroll, Navigate Housing PartnersAmanda Loper, David Baker ArchitectsCory Stallworth, City of BirminghamMary Ellen Judah, Neighborhood ConceptsTerry Harbin, Affordable Homes Gulf Coast
Lisa McCarroll made the point well, noting that some 40% of Alabamians may qualify for some type of subsidized housing. Another 44% do not qualify, but earn far less than necessary to afford market rate housing.
Amanda Loper offered examples of creative housing around the county that is both affordable and builds community.
Terry Harbin, a for profit developer Mobile, Mary Ellen Judah, Executive Director of the Huntsville-based nonprofit, Neighborhood Concepts, Cory Stallworth of the City of Birmingham, shared their differing approaches to addressing the shortage of workforce housing.
They highlighted the fact that federal tax credits for developing affordable housing in Alabama are restricted to one per county. And currently, Alabama has no state credit, though one has been introduced in the Legislature this session.
Jim Stockard challenged the audience with a series of questions to consider, including:
What are the types of publicly owned sites that might lend themselves to housing construction in Alabama cities?
Where are the existing market rate apartment buildings in your cities that might be re-purposed as mixed income complexes that could serve the workforce in their cities
What should the state allow or even mandate in terms of local zoning ordinances?
What level of assistance might cities or the state be willing to provide to assist households in becoming homeowners?
Encouraged…
Attendees noted they were encouraged to know there are people in Alabama working to address these concerns and that there are actually new things that the state can do.
More than 80% of surveyed attendees reported no, slight, or only moderate knowledge of housing policy before the event–and 90% of those same attendees reported the event improved their knowledge of the topic.
Governor Albert Brewer Memorial Lunch
Governor Ivey addressed the audience as part of the Governor Albert Brewer Memorial Lunch
Governor Kay Ivey gave remarks to the PARCA 2024 Governor Albert Brewer Legacy Luncheon at the Herbert Center Friday, March 8, 2024 in Birmingham, Ala. (Governor’s Office /Hal Yeager)Governor Kay Ivey gave remarks to the PARCA 2024 Governor Albert Brewer Legacy Luncheon at the Herbert Center Friday, March 8, 2024 in Birmingham, Ala. (Governor’s Office /Hal Yeager)
