Huntsville Alabama USA - Newcomers & Visitors - Community Overview

Primary and Secondary Education

Established in 1875, the Huntsville City Schools system has a long tradition of excellence. It has shown a strong commitment to the needs of a diverse student population. The Huntsville City Schools system combines an outstanding core curriculum with advanced learning opportunities and innovative magnet schools to help students develop their talents. Beginning with the basics of a 4x4 curriculum, high school students study four years of English, mathematics, science and social studies.

Through the Toyota Distance Learning Labs, Huntsville students can choose from a broader range of courses and can learn from guest lecturers who add their expertise in everything from contemporary literature to medical concepts. Advance Placement courses in English, math, science, computer science, foreign language, social studies and art allow students to earn college credits.

Magnet school programs enable students to focus on international social studies, language, Space Science, engineering or creative and performing arts. The Space Science curriculum was developed with the assistance of NASA's Marshall Space Center. The Creative and Performing Arts magnet has received many awards for its programs in visual arts, vocal music, creative writing, dance, drama, photography/video, and technical theater production.

Private Schools

Many independent or religiously-affiliated private schools are located in the Huntsville/Madison County area. Private schools give parents the option of selecting an educational institution with a smaller student-teacher ratio, traditional or alternative curriculum offerings, and other specialty programs. Many of the schools administer standardized testing programs, which measure the effectiveness of instruction and the selected curriculum. Private school administrators are invited to join the Huntsville-Madison Private Schools Association, a professional group that meets monthly to coordinate and support the initiatives of private school instruction. Additional information concerning private schools in the area can be found at: www.huntsvillemadisonprivateschools.org.

The Country Day School	PreK-8	1699 Old Dry Creek Rd. Huntsville, AL 35806 Phone: (256) -837-5266 Founded in 1987, The Country Day School provides educational programs for preschool through 8th grade students.The school is known as "Huntsville's International School" with a diverse student body representing many nationalities. It has been internationally accredited by CITA and is also SACS Accredited. The school campus is located on 21 acres adjoining the Village of Providence in west Huntsville. Country Day School was named Small Business of the Year by the Chamber in 2000, and has received the Torch Award for ethics by the BBB.
Grace Lutheran School	PreK-8	3321 S. Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 881-0553 Grace Lutheran School offers pre-kindergarten through 8th grade instruction by experienced and nurturing Christian teachers who are state certified.
St. John the Baptist Catholic School	K-8	1057 Hughes Rd. Madison, AL 35758 Phone: (256) 722-0772 Founded in 1996, St. John the Baptist Catholic School Community provides a strong academic curriculum in a nurturing Catholic Christian environment. St. John’s goal is to prepare students to become productive citizens, active parishioners, and life long learners, who can meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Madison Academy	PreK-12	325 Slaughter Rd., Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 971-1625 Founded in 1955 for the purpose of providing quality education in a Christian environment, Madison Academy expanded to a 160-acre campus near Madison in 1997. The school offers college preparatory and dual-enrollment courses.
Oakwood Adventist Academy	K-12	7000 Adventist Blvd., Huntsville, AL Phone: 726-7010 Formerly maintained by Oakwood College, this Seventh Day Adventist academy is more than 100 years old and open for public enrollment.
Randolph School	K-12	1005 Drake Ave., Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 881-1701 A national Blue Ribbon School, Randolph's college preparatory program sends 100 percent of its graduates to the nation's leading colleges and universities. The wireless campus supports a laptop program for students in grades 8 through 12. Randolph School is an independent, coeducational K-12 college preparatory school located on 17 acres in a suburban setting in Huntsville. The School has also acquired an additional 50 acres nearby that will soon be home to a new Upper School campus. Founded in 1959, and long recognized as the most outstanding independent school in North Alabama, Randolph School promotes high academic standards and challenges all students to develop the knowledge, skills, and character to become self-confident, reflective, and productive adults.
Schola Maxima	1-5	3348 L&N Road, Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 883-2910 Opened in 1969 as The Reading Center, this school expanded in 1975 to offer an elementary program called Schola Maxima. The school added fifth grade instruction three years ago.
Westminster Christian Academy	PreK-12	1400 Evangel Dr., Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 705-8000 Westminster Christian Academy (WCA) is a co-educational PreK-12 Christian school. WCA educates and trains students from Christian families in accordance with the Bible, God's inerrant Word, leading to the Biblical world view for life-long service to Christ. We see a child's education as twofold: that we train them in their subjects; that we raise up people of integrity, knowing that young men and women with both skills and character make powerful contributions to their world. Committed to academic achievement since 1964, the school has grown to three campuses serving the Huntsville area. Last year's graduating class was offered more than $500,000 in college scholarships. The school is in the process of relocating to their new 42-acre campus on Research Park Boulevard.
Catholic High School	9-12	4810 Bradford Dr., Huntsville, AL Phone: (256) 430-1760 Catholic High School, a coed college preparatory school for grades 9-12, provides academic excellence in a Roman Catholic community environment. Directed by the Diocese of Birmingham and the only Catholic secondary school in North Alabama, Catholic High is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and a member of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). One Hundred percent of seniors are accepted to a college or university. The 2006 graduates received more than $1.3 million in scholarships, with 15 percent named National Merit Finalists and Commended Scholars. Founded in 1996, the school has launched a Capital Campaign to build a new campus on a 55-acre site in Thornton Research Park. Catholic High School develops the total person in body, mind, and spirit, guiding students to learn enthusiastically, to lead honorably, and to live responsibly in our world.

Alabama A&M University is a historically black, comprehensive land-grant university granting bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. There are more than 4,500 undergraduate students and 1,200 graduate students from more than 40 states and 60 nations. The University offers some 70 disciplines of study including the bachelor's degree in business and the MBA. Alabama A&M's Graduate School is among the largest of historically black colleges and universities.

Calhoun Community College, North Alabama's most affordable institution and the state's largest two-year college with an enrollment of over 9,800 students, has two campus locations (Decatur and Cummings Research Park in Huntsville) and offers day, evening weekend and on-line classes. The college's campus site in Cummings Research Park makes it the only two-year college in the nation to have a campus location in a major research park. Calhoun offers coursework leading to the completion of an associate's degree and/or transfer to a four-year university is available in many different majors, including accounting, business, and computer information systems. In addition, Calhoun offers over 40 different associate degree/certificate programs of study in applied science that prepare the student to enter the workforce, update employability skills, or advance in his/her career. Included in these programs are biotechnology, healthcare, aerospace technology, business administration, and computer information systems.

The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) provides mandatory, assignment-specific and continuing education courses for military and civilian acquisition personnel within the Department of Defense. Its mission is to provide the acquisition community with the right learning products and services to make smart business decisions. The DAU coordinates acquisition education and training programs to meet the training requirements of more than 140,000 DoD acquisition personnel. As the DoD corporate university for acquisition education, the DAU sponsors curriculum and instructor training to provide a full range of basic, intermediate, advanced and assignment-specific courses to support the career goals and professional development of the Acquisition Workforce.

As a vocational-technical institution accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, J. F. Drake State Technical College is dedicated to the teaching and advancement of the highest caliber of technical skills obtained through state of the art facilities and equipment. The College aims to produce an effective participatory citizenship with economic potential and with civic and social commitment as well.

Faulkner University Huntsville is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. The Harris College of Business is a vital part of Faulkner University.

Florida Institute of Technology - Redstone is an accredited, independently controlled and supported university. Its curricula and course content are tailored to meet the educational needs of local residents, employees of industry and business, active duty military personnel and their families and DOD civilian employees in management and engineering. Master's degrees are offered on-site and through Distance Learning in acquisition and contract management, computer information systems, human resource management, information systems, logistics management and materiel acquisition management.

Oakwood University, since its beginning in 1896, has grown to a four-year liberal arts college enrolling over 1,700 students annually. Oakwood University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate and baccalaureate degrees and the Seventh-day Adventist Board of Higher Education. Oakwood University provides access to educational opportunity, academic excellence and spiritual development for its students who come from diverse geographical, cultural, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. In 1991, according to statistics from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Oakwood University ranked fourth in the nation among all colleges and universities supplying African-American applicants to medical schools and sixth in the nation in the number of African-Americans accepted into medical schools.

UAHuntsville is a national research university. UAHuntsville is listed in America's 100 Best College Buys, 8th Annual Report 2003-04 by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. The UAHuntsville undergraduate and graduate business programs in accounting, finance, human resource management, information technology, management and marketing are accredited by AACSB International - the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. UAHuntsville's undergraduate business program ranks among the top 10 percent of such programs in the U.S. according to 2003 rankings by U.S. News and World Report magazine. The National Research Council recognized UAHuntsville as a pioneer in teaching and researching the Management of Technology. Through a strategic partnership with Defense Acquisition University South, UAHuntsville graduate students may complete a Master of Science in Management of Acquisition Management.

Virginia College offers associate's degree programs in allied health, computer-aided drafting, computer information, electronics technology, legal studies, medical transcription and office automation systems.

Several local arts and cultural organizations provide educational programs as a fundamental element of their mission.

The Huntsville Museum of Art is a nationally accredited museum. It is the premier visual arts center in North Alabama and southern Tennessee. Located in Big Spring Park, it features a children's, classrooms and programs for arts education.

The Broadway Theatre League is the second oldest theatre league in the nation. It provides opportunities for children to experience quality theatre from professional touring performers.

The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra is the oldest continuously operating professional orchestra in the state of Alabama. The symphony, started in part by members of the German rocket team, offers classical, pops, chamber and young people's concerts. The Symphony School has more than 100 students.

The Huntsville Community Chorus has been operating since 1946, providing Huntsville and North Alabama with quality experiences in all genres of music, including classical, sacred, contemporary and Broadway musical.

The Community Ballet Association operates the Huntsville Ballet Company and Community Ballet School. In addition to the annual Nutcracker and Spring Repertory performances, the CBA works with touring companies to bring the best in dance to Huntsville.

The Arts Council
www.artshuntsville.org

The Arts in Education department at The Arts Council, Inc. seeks to incorporate the arts into the curriculum of grades K-12 through several programs, including “Art Ventures!” day camps; “Meet the Artist” at the studios of ETV; participating in the Black Arts Festival; and FREE Panoply Arts Festival-related activities including Fifth Grade Days, the Student Art Tent, the Kids' Art Yard, interactive cultural demonstrations within the pavilions of the Global Village; and the annual Student Billboard Competition.