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A group of schools around the state are celebrating recognition and awards from the Alabama Board of Education last week.

Each year, the board awards 50 schools with thousands of dollars based on their performance on the state school report card through the Alabama Legislative Recognition Program.

Of the 50 schools, half improved their overall report card grade by at least one letter, and the other half were the highest-scoring schools, according to the Alabama Daily News. The most improved schools earned $8,000, and the top-scoring schools brought home $2,000.

Read on to see the list of all 50 recognized schools.

Recognizing nationally nominated schools

Five additional schools were recognized as “Nominated 2025 Blue Ribbon Schools.” These schools would have likely been named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education based on selection criteria, but the program was discontinued this year, ADN reported.

Those five schools were:

Lakewood Elementary School — Phenix City Schools
Shades Mountain Elementary — Hoover City Schools
Kilby Laboratory School — Florence City Schools
Monte Sano Elementary School — Huntsville City Schools
Heritage Elementary School — Madison City Schools

State Superintendent Eric Mackey oversaw the state’s nominations for the National Blue Ribbon Schools, and while he was surprised the program was discontinued, he said there have been discussions about creating a near-equivalent, state-level program, according to ADN. The new program would have its own unique criteria based on the state report card.

The Top 25 Most Improved Schools

Birmingham City Schools:
- BCS Virtual Academy of Learning
- Huffman Academy
- Norwood Elementary
- Robinson Elementary
- Wenonah High School
Butler County Schools
- Greenville High School
Cherokee County Schools
- Cherokee County High School
Choctaw County Schools
- South Choctaw Elementary
Cleburne County Schools
- Ranburne High School
Cullman County
- Hanceville Elementary
Decatur City Schools
- Austinville Elementary
- Oak Park Elementary
Gadsden City Schools
- Walnut Park Elementary
Hale County Schools
- Greensboro Elementary
Haleyville City Schools
- Haleyville High School
Huntsville City Schools
- Chapman Middle
- Montview Elementary
LEAD Academy Charter, PK-4th grade Building A
Lee County Schools
- Beulah Elementary
- Sanford Middle
Montgomery County Schools
- Highland Gardens Elementary
- Morris Elementary
Randolph County Schools
- Wedowee Elementary
Selma City Schools
- Clark Elementary
Tuscaloosa City Schools
- Oakdale Elementary

The Top 25 Scoring Schools

Birmingham City Schools
- EPIC Alternative Elementary
Decatur City Schools
- Benjamin Davis Elementary
- Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary
Gadsden City Schools
- Eura Brown Elementary
Homewood City Schools
- Edgewood Elementary
Hoover City Schools
- Brock’s Gap Intermediate
- Deer Valley Elementary
- South Shades Crest Elementary
Huntsville City Schools
- Hampton Cove Elementary
- Monte Sano Elementary
Mobile County Schools
- Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies
- Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science
- Old Shell Road Magnet
- W.H. Council Traditional School
Montgomery County Schools
- Bear Exploration Center
- Forest Avenue Elementary
- Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School
Mountain Brook City Schools
- Brookwood Forest Elementary
- Cherokee Bend Elementary
- Crestline Elementary
- Mountain Brook Elementary
Orange Beach City Schools
- Orange Beach Elementary School
Tuscaloosa City Schools
- Tuscaloosa Magnet – Elementary
Vestavia Hills City Schools
- Vestavia Hills Elementary East
- Vestavia Hills Elementary West