Alexander City Schools is the public school district of Alexander City, Alabama, established in 1879. Alexander City Schools serves 2,948 students and employs 170 teachers and 67 staff as of the 2020–2021 school year. The district includes two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.

History

The Alexander City schools were affected historically by desegregation efforts within Alabama. By the fall of 1970, the 31% minority student total of the public school system was distributed within the then-existing schools as follows: In 2005 the Alexander City Schools system was awarded district accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). All graduates of Benjamin Russell High School gain two years of tuition-free education through the Central Alabama Community College under the Gateway to Education Scholarship Program, which was awarded the National Civic Star Award by the American Association of School Administrators in 2007.

School Board

Schools

Alexander City Schools consists of five schools:

Facilities

In partnership with the College of Engineering of Auburn University, Benjamin Russell High School has included an Engineering Academy since 2007. The High School also has a "Success Center", a learning lab for students who have not passed one or more sections of the High School Graduation Exam, giving them an opportunity to retake the test.

Governance

Its interim superintendent is Beverly Price, appointed in April 2022. The High School Principal is Shannon Benefield.

Strategic Plan

The district's Strategic Plan for 2008–2013 includes targets for dental screening, physical activity for all students, responsible eating and nutritional information, safety codes, behavior monitoring, richer student experiences and problem solving, after-school programs, mentorship program, parental involvement, greater professional development for teachers, and art and foreign-language teaching.

Policies

The district's dress code requires students to be neatly dressed, clean and well groomed. Boys' shirts must be tucked in, and shorts and skirts must be no shorter than 2 inches above the kneecap. Pants must cover the hips, and shoes must be worn. Penalties for student misconduct include detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, Saturday school, alternative education program, and corporal punishment. The latter consists of a maximum of three licks administered in private to the student's buttocks with a wooden paddle. Parents who object to paddling may request an alternative punishment. No student is forced to submit to a paddling. Students may choose a spanking in lieu of suspension.

Notable alumni