Sylacauga High School in Sylacauga, Alabama, is the winner of a 2026 Gene Bottoms Pacesetter School Award from the Southern Regional Education Board. Sylacauga High will be honored July 14 at SREB’s Making Schools Work Conference in Nashville.

Pacesetter Awards recognize schools that are implementing one of SREB’s Making Schools Work school improvement frameworks and are achieving success in meeting bold goals related to graduation rates, readiness for college and careers, and credential attainment.

Sylacauga High implements SREB’s school improvement design for high schools. The school is being recognized for accomplishing all actions recommended in its curriculum and instruction review and supporting staff in calibrating learning walks.

The school implemented a new bell schedule featuring a reimagined advisory period focused on character education lessons and ACT preparation. Additionally, they began using the College-Equipped Readiness Tool as a benchmark three times a year to measure the effectiveness of their teaching strategies.

As a result of these efforts, Sylacauga High School achieved:

• A six-point increase on the Alabama State Report Card, resulting in an academic achievement score of 55.79—significantly exceeding the state average of 46.99 for high-school-only campuses.
• TQualifying scores on Advanced Placement exams tripled, a direct result of the school’s commitment to increasing classroom rigor and instructional standards.
• Significant growth in ACT proficiency, with 75% of juniors now performing at a collegiate level in writing and the school overall exceeding Alabama’s mean scores.
• The successful implementation of a blended bell schedule that incorporates dedicated advisory periods for character education and a reimagined TOPS leadership program to develop future district leaders.

SREB’s annual Making Schools Work Conference provides educators with opportunities to participate in professional development, network with colleagues from across the country and build school and district leadership capacity.

Contact: Beth Day, Communications Vice President, at Beth.Day@sreb.org

The Southern Regional Education Board works with states, districts and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce. An interstate compact and a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislators to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region.