River Region/Maxwell AFB School Resources

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

All County public schools are accredited by the State of Alabama and Cognia

•  Montgomery Public Schools
•  Autauga County Schools
•  Elmore County Schools
•  Pike Road Schools

ONLINE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

•  Montgomery Virtual Program
•  Alabama Virtual Academy
•  Elmore County Virtual Program

DODEA SCHOOL

Maxwell Elementary & Middle School (PreK - 8th grade)

Additional information on Maxwell Elementary / Middle School can be found at:

•  https://www.dodea.edu/MaxwellAFBEMS/
•  https://www.facebook.com/DodeaMaxwellEMS/

Students residing in housing on Maxwell AFB and Gunter-Annex in grades 9-12 are zoned in the Montgomery Public School System. Maxwell is zoned for Carver Senior High School and Gunter-Annex is zoned for Lee High School.  Bus service is provided for both bases/schools. FamCamp also stands as a designated area for permanent living quarters. This designation allows permanent residents within the camping area to attend Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary and Middle School. The official memo can be found here.

Maxwell Elementary and Middle School also offers active-duty military members living off base an opportunity to attend the DoDEA school.  For more information go to Maxwell Elementary and Middle School Pilot Program.

MONTGOMERY PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGNET PROGRAM

Montgomery Public Schools have an outstanding magnet school program. MPS Magnet Application window usually opens in January for about a month, with a possible limited second application window at a later date (usually April). Any questions, comments, or concerns can be submitted via email to magnet@mps.k12.al.us.  Responses may take up to 48 hours. Note: You do not have to live in the Montgomery Public School district to apply, however, if your child is selected and chooses to attend, you will have to live in the Montgomery Public School district – this includes Maxwell/Gunter – by the first day of school. MPS Magnet link - https://al50000660.schoolwires.net/Page/1096.

ALABAMA FIRST CLASS PRE-K PROGRAM

Alabama has a nationally recognized First-Class Pre-K program.  Children must be four years old on the first day of September in the school year for which the student is being pre-registered. Registration for this program typically opens in January and closes in March or when seats are filled.  Parents are notified in April.  Selection is based on a lottery system. Some programs require you to live in the zoned area, others do not.  Information can be found at https://prek.alaceed.alabama.gov/.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

•  LEAD Academy (K-9) - Registration typically open from February to March and acceptance is based on a lottery system.
•  Life Academy (K-8)- Has open registration

HOMESCHOOLING

For information on Home Schooling in Alabama, please visit https://hslda.org/legal/alabama or contact the State Department of Education, School Safety, Discipline, and Attendance Division, P.O. Box 302101, Montgomery, AL 36130-2101, Phone 334-242-8165, Fax 334-353-5962.

BOARDING SCHOOLS

•  Alabama STEM Leadership Academy
•  Alabama School of Fine Arts
•  Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering
•  Southern Preparatory Academy

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

There are also a number of private schools, many with religious orientations, located in the River Region. The area's independent and parochial schools are accredited by Cognia or by the Alabama Independent School Association.

Several public-school districts in the River Region support military-connected families and students by allowing “Out of District Enrollment.”  This means that your student may attend school in a district other than the one that she or he is zoned for based on your residency.  Approval of out of district enrollment is at the discretion of the district superintendent/principal.  Also, because the student is attending outside of their district, a parent or guardian is responsible for transportation to and from school.

Each district's policy has different eligibility criteria:

• Autauga County Schools have opened select schools in Autauga County to any child whose parent/guardian is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter AFB regardless of where they live in the River Region and meets all other requirements (contact your School Liaisons or the school for an application).
• Elmore County Schools have opened any of their available schools to any military-connected child regardless of where they live in the River Region (contact your School Liaisons or the school for an application).
• Pike Road Schools have opened all their schools to any military-connected child whose parent/guardian lives on Maxwell-Gunter AFB. (contact the school)

School options based on residency:

(Bold – default district school zone; Italic – Out of District Enrollment options)

Montgomery Public Schools

• https://app.guidek12.com/montgomeryal/school_search/current/

Autagua County Schools

• https://app.guidek12.com/autaugacountyal/school_search/current/

All Others

• https://alabama.hometownlocator.com/schools/

Why you should disclose military affiliation to your local school?

When you enroll your child, you will notice a question asking about military affiliation. Many parents question whether they should disclose their military affiliation. Yes, you should! There are two reasons, Federal Impact Aid and the Military Student Identifier. The collected data helps your school district apply for Federal Impact Aid Funds. These funds help offset the lost tax revenue to local school districts due to Federal lands. This includes lost property taxes due to base housing and lost sales tax due to purchases on base. The Military Student Identifier helps the schools, districts and in turn states to determine where military-affiliated students attend schools. This can assist in bringing resources and support for military-affiliated students into the schools. While our children are resilient, sometimes their needs are different from their civilian peers. Dealing with frequent moves, deployments, and other military stressors can make school life challenging. The Military Student Identifier allows agencies to pinpoint where to concentrate their support effort most efficiently. If you have more questions or concerns, please contact our School Liaisons @ 334-953-6430 or 334-953-1259.

The Alabama State Department of Education analyzes verifiable data to annually inform the public of the state's, districts' and individual schools' performance on more than 30 criteria. This site allows you to compare up to three schools side by side in the same criteria. 

• Public K-12 Working Group - Summary of 2021-25 Strategic Plan
• Report of K-12 Comprehensive Survey

For the past several years, Air University's K-12 Working Group has worked to improve public education options for military-affiliated children across the River Region. Back in June 2021, in partnership with DoDEA, they launched an expanded enrollment as a pilot program. The application is available at https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell-afb/pilot-program

To be eligible for the pilot program, students must be a dependent of a full-time, active-duty service member with orders to Maxwell Air Force Base or Gunter Annex.  The application window for the pilot program opens in December prior to the next school year.  A timeline of notifications is posted on the Maxwell Elementary and Middle School website.

By law, DoDEA must prioritize children residing on Maxwell or Gunter before any applications from this pilot program are reviewed. Then, based on space available at the grade level, DoDEA will select applicants for this program. If space is available at the required grade level, priority will be given to students enrolled at MEMS the previous school year; then siblings of enrolled students; and finally, any new pilot applicant.  Where two or more students qualify in the same category and grade, the student who submitted the first application will be accepted.

Transportation to and from the school is not provided to children who live off the installation as part of this pilot program, and an application does not automatically guarantee enrollment, so please ensure that your child is enrolled in a local public, private, or homeschool program by the start of the school year.

The application for off-base, active-duty military dependents is available here and can only be opened on a personal computer or non-NIPR device. A separate application will need to be filled out for each student the family wishes to enroll. It is recommended that you screenshot or print each page as you are completing your application for your records, as you may not receive confirmation of receipt.

Parents can learn more about the Maxwell Elementary and Middle School and the pilot program by visiting https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell-afb/pilot-program​.

For information on local school programs and how to contact the School Liaison Office, visit https://www.maxwell.af.mil/K-12-Schools/School-Liaison-Office/

EFMP is a Department of Defense program offered by all branches of the military.  It is a mandatory enrollment program for all active-duty Airmen who have a special needs family member.  The program is comprised of three components: EFMP-Medical (EFMP-M), EFMP-Assignments (EFMP-A) and EFMP-Family Support (EFMP-FS) that work toward a common goal of providing comprehensive and coordinated support to families.  EFMP-M supports the EFMP through screening, enrollment and assignment coordination through the Family Member Travel Screening.  EFMP-A considers the medical and educational needs of the family when it has been determined that the required services are not available at the Airman’s current or projected assignment location.  EFMP-FS is based on Section 563(c) NDAA FY2010 (Public Law 111-84).  Support is provided by the Military and Family Readiness Center (M&FRC) EFMP-FS coordinators to all DoD ID cardholders assigned to the installation or located in the community.

For more information on EFMP call the Military and Family Readiness Center at (334) 953-2353 or DSN 312-493-2353.