About Altamont

The Mission of the Altamont School is to improve the fabric of society by graduating compassionate, well-educated individuals capable of independent thinking and innovative ideas. To this end, the school attracts, nurtures, and challenges students whose commitment to truth, knowledge, and honor will prepare them not only for the most rigorous college programs, but also for productive lives.Five Core Values--Respect, Integrity, Balance, Curiosity, and Leadership--guide us in the fulfillment of our mission.

Respect - We value and have compassion for every individual in our diverse school community. Through our curriculum and school activities, we emphasize the importance of respecting and understanding cultural, religious, intellectual, and social differences that constitute our global and local societies.

Balance - We motivate students to align their passions with their strengths. We encourage and support our students as they discover the arts, pursue athletics, and delve into academics in a manner that not only equips them with the skills to navigate life’s varied circumstances, but also promotes personal growth, emotional health, and physical well-being.

Integrity - Because we embrace integrity as the heart of Altamont’s mission, we challenge students to demonstrate honorable words and deeds, to make courageous choices, and to exhibit personal responsibility at all times.

Curiosity - We nurture intellectual curiosity by celebrating learning, discovery, and innovation. We encourage our students to ask questions, seek truth, and put ideas into action.

Leadership - We foster every student’s unique capacity to lead and improve society through active discourse, student driven initiatives, and service to others.

Altamont was established in 1975 through the merger of Birmingham University School (1922) and Brooke Hill School (1941). Birmingham is Altamont's home, and the school remains a committed partner in the city's cultural, economic and educational life.

Compassionate

• Respects views, customs, and beliefs of individuals in a diverse community
• Improves society through civic engagement and stewardship of natural resources
• Displays humility and willingness to live outside the self

Well-educated

• Balances academics with arts, athletics, and community engagement
• Analyzes and evaluates information in order to articulate and support personal views
• Appreciates beauty in the natural world and the arts

Independent

• Inspires others through authentic self-expression, passion, values, and deeds
• Demonstrates integrity, honor, and responsibility in all actions
• Strives for physical and emotional well-being, acknowledges personal limitations, and knows when to ask for help

Innovative

• Takes risks to effect change for the common good
• Embraces discovery and the mistakes essential to learning
• Collaborates with others in order to solve problems and put ideas into action

The light, open architecture of Altamont's modern campus is inspired by the natural beauty of its 28-acre wooded campus atop Birmingham’s Red Mountain. In addition to an exceptional collection of art displayed in every space, the main school building features 40 classrooms, science labs, a fine arts center, a student center, an art gallery, a sculpture garden, a computer center with 3-D printers and a laser engraver, a 6,300-volume library and studios for orchestra, art, photography and audio-visual production. Altamont's main campus athletic facilities include two gymnasiums with two basketball courts, three volleyball courts, a weight training facility, six tennis courts, a soccer field and a track with discus cage, shot put ring, long jump pit and pole vault. A separate Sports complex provides fields for soccer, baseball and softball.

Altamont's faculty includes more than 50 exceptional teachers. In addition to teaching in their certified fields of study, they sponsor clubs, coach sports, serve as academic advisors, and bring to our community extensive experience of the world and other industries.

At every grade level, Altamont students are exploring not only the content of their courses but also the content of their own character, meeting academic challenges and taking personal responsibility for themselves and for their community. One-hundred percent of graduates go on to colleges and universities throughout the world.

Altamont is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes parents, patrons, alumni and friends. We are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and we hold membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, among other affiliations.

View the 2021 Altamont Strategic Plan

Our academic year begins in late August and ends in late May. The year is divided into two terms, with Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Breaks, and several long weekends. Our school day runs from 8:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Altamont School does not provide a bus service for student arrival and departure. Parents or guardians of non-driving students drop them off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Students in nearby homes may choose to walk.