Montgomery's school system includes nine magnet schools with specialized programs each with its own focus, including arts, technology, math, science, international studies, and advanced academics. The schools offer gifted and special education programs as well as a Career Tech program. The Partners In Education (PIE) program is a joint venture of the Montgomery Public Schools, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, Junior League of Montgomery, and the Volunteer and Information Center. PIE's 500 partners, consisting of local businesses and organizations, encourage improvement in the school system through partnerships, materials, and donations. The Children's Center of Montgomery is a non-profit organization serving Montgomery's severely disabled and special needs children. The Center is funded in part by the County Board of Education and the State Department of Education, among others. The late 1990s saw the opening of several new schools and a number of additions to existing schools. Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School is designed to expose students to career opportunities in such diverse technical fields as graphics design, pre-engineering, building sciences, e-commerce, medicine, and computer information systems.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Montgomery public school system as of the 2004–2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 33,000
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 36
junior high/middle schools: 11
senior high schools: 7
other: 6
Student/teacher ratio: 15.4 (2002-2003)
Teacher salaries
minimum: $29,538
maximum: $44,936
Funding per pupil: $5,728 (2000-2001)
Montgomery also has 37 private and religious schools, prekindergarten and early education centers.
Public Schools Information: Montgomery Public Schools, 307 S. Decatur St., Montgomery, AL 36104; telephone (334)223-6700
Montgomery is home to a variety of institutions of higher learning. Alabama State University offers programs in health information management and occupational therapy, and master's degree programs in a variety of education fields and accounting. It has recently expanded to include a graduate program in physical therapy as well as a doctoral program in environmental biology and education.
Auburn University Montgomery is known for its Center for Government and Public Affairs and its Center for Business and Economic Development. Faulkner University offers such programs as the Alabama Christian College of Arts and Sciences, the Harris College of Business and Education, and the Jones School of Law. Its program at the Cloverdale Center for Family Strengths reflects the school's emphasis on family stability through training, counseling, and research. Huntingdon College students participate in the Huntingdon Plan, which encompasses many areas including global awareness, critical thinking, strong writing, and hands-on learning as well as Judeo-Christian heritage and values.
John M. Patterson State Technical College offers varied programs in technical, industrial, and service professions. South College Montgomery, a branch of Savannah, Georgia's South College, offers associate degrees in business and computer-related fields. Montgomery is also home to Southern Christian University, which educates Protestant ministers. Trenholm State Technical College provides training in programs such as auto body repair, childcare, broadcasting technology, and other trades. Adult students who work during the day are the special focus of Troy State University Montgomery. Students there earn associate, undergraduate, or graduate degrees while attending school exclusively at night and on the weekends. Troy State programs focus on business, education, the arts, history, sciences, and social science; its graduate programs offer degrees in education, counseling, and business.
Thousands of military students come to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base to study at the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff College and at the Squadron Officer College. The College for Enlisted Professional Military Education (CEPME) at Maxwell's Gunter Annex oversees and standardizes all Air Force educational programs.
Montgomery has a variety of public and private libraries. Montgomery City-County Public Library has 600,000 volumes with a circulation of more than one-half million items. The facility has ten branches and a bookmobile. The Alabama Supreme Court & State Law Library has 200,000 volumes on Alabama law and history. Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base is home to the Air University Library, one of the largest federal libraries outside Washington D.C., and the largest military academic library in the world.
College libraries include the 258,000-volume Alabama State University Library, which has special collections on accounting and allied health; the Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) library, with 270,000 titles; and the Huntingdon College Library, which has more than 225,000 holdings, and subject interests in business education, ethnic studies, and gerontology. Faulkner University Library's collection houses 100,000 volumes in its Gus Nichols Main Library; the George H. Jones, Jr. Law Library serves the needs of the University's law school students. Troy State University Montgomery Library is housed on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Rosa Parks Library and Museum building. Opened in 2000, the new structure was built on the site where Mrs. Parks boarded the bus on which she refused to give up her seat.
Baptist Medical Center, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System, and Jackson Hospital & Clinic maintain medical libraries. Other libraries in the city include the Montgomery County Law Library, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Library, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Validata Computer and Research Corporation. Auburn University research centers in Montgomery include the Center for Demographic and Cultural Research.
Public Library Information: Montgomery City-County Public Library, 245 High St., PO Box 1950, Montgomery, AL 36102; telephone (334)240-4300