
Image from character.org website
Three Vestavia Hills schools on Tuesday were named among 12 State Schools of Character in Alabama for 2025 for their emphasis on character education and development.
The designation was given by character.org. a national organization that advocates for character education in schools.
The three Vestavia Hills schools making this year’s list are Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge and Pizitz Middle School.
Each State School of Character was selected based on demonstrated excellence in eleven nationally-accepted principles of character education. These principles emphasize creating a caring school community where everyone feels welcome, providing students with opportunities to practice and reflect on their character strengths, and engaging families and communities as partners in the school’s character initiatives.
Each of the three Vestavia Hills schools earned this designation by working to embed a unique set of core values into the school’s culture. Core values provide students and staff with clear guideposts and expectations about what character means and looks like, both inside and outside the school walls.
“VHCS is committed to partnering with parents to reinforce and instill core values and the importance of character in our students,” Superintendent Todd Freeman said in a written statement. “This recognition is an acknowledgement of the great effort and intention our schools give to creating schools of character.”
Three other Vestavia Hills have been named Schools of Character in the past five years: Vestavia Hills Elementary West in 2021, Vestavia Hills Elementary East in 2022 and Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park in 2024. All three of those schools were later named National Schools of Character.
The 2025 National Schools of Character will be announced in May.
Other schools named 2025 State Schools of Character in Alabama were Brock’s Gap Intermediate School in Hoover, Central Elementary (district not identified), Central Freshman Academy in Phenix City, Hartselle Intermediate School, Huntington Place Elementary in Tuscaloosa County, Meadowlane Elementary in Phenix City, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School in Birmingham, Northridge Middle School in Tuscaloosa and Rock Quarry Elementary in Tuscaloosa.