While Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan recently was named 2025-26 Outstanding Superintendent of the Year by the Alabama Education Association, the veteran educator said the school system’s academic achievements that led to the honor were a team effort.

“No single individual can take credit for the growing success of Birmingham City Schools,” he said. “What’s happening here is the result of a school board that continues to set the right tone, a faculty and staff laser-focused on getting results, students and families doing their part, and a city and community that have invested in our schools like never before.”

The honor recognizes superintendents for professional achievement, innovation that supports schools, efforts to promote public education and leadership that enhances the image of educators. Sullivan, who has served as superintendent since 2020, received the award following a vote of his peers.

“This is such a well-deserved honor for Dr. Sullivan,” said Sherman Collins, president of the Birmingham Board of Education. “His outstanding leadership has helped Birmingham City Schools make historic progress, and his work has made a tremendous difference in the lives of our students. I’m thrilled to congratulate Dr. Sullivan on behalf of the entire board.”

When Sullivan became superintendent in 2020, the school system’s numerical grade was 71 on the state Department of Education’s School Report Card, which measures school performance. By the 2024-25 school year, that grade had risen to 77, the highest ever for Birmingham City Schools, Sullivan said.

What’s more, last year only one Birmingham school received an F on the state Report Card, compared to 15 in 2023, and the rate of chronic absenteeism decreased from 29% in 2023 to 14% in 2025, he added.

The graduation rate was 78% five years ago when Sullivan was in his first year as superintendent. This year, that rate is expected to climb to 88% or 89%, he said.

“We’ve got some really fantastic people that are working with us, really sharp and really focused on how we improve outcomes for kids,” the superintendent said.

Achieving those results is rooted in Sullivan’s school success stories in his 30 years as a Birmingham teacher and principal at Glen Iris Elementary, Philips Academy K-8, Ramsay High and the former Spaulding Elementary schools, and in the school system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic erupted during Sullivan’s first year as superintendent, and Birmingham schools transitioned to virtual learning for almost two years.

“I told the teachers at the time that we have to teach like we’ve never taught before, meaning you had to teach virtually, because nobody had done that before on a mass scale,” he recalled.

When students came back to the classroom, some experienced learning loss and weren’t at grade level. To get them there, Sullivan and his team put together a program with frameworks at every school, including extending the school year.

What that means, Sullivan said, is any student can choose to attend school during the five-day fall break and for four weeks during summer break. An average of 5,000 students of the 19,000 enrolled in Birmingham schools take advantage of the opportunity.

“We extended learning opportunities for students, and then we have free after-school care, and we provided additional support,” he said. “We were very intentional and concentrated around the academic support for our students and teachers, and we started seeing kids respond to good instruction.”

Birmingham’s successful academic recovery has been featured in a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Forbes magazine and, just last week, in the Feb. 12 edition of The Economist.

“We were able to provide students with a lot of support, and we were able to continue those supports past the pandemic, because we’ve got systems in place that can be replicated year after year and refined,” Sullivan said. “We are doing a lot of great things. Birmingham City Schools is, and we want to be your first choice in education.”