Three Vestavia Hills schools are being recognized statewide for their emphasis on character education and development.

Character.org, a national organization advocating for character education in schools, released its 2025 list of State Schools of Character this morning. Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, and Louis Pizitz Middle School were three of just twelve schools in Alabama chosen for the award this year.

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 VHCS 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. This recognition is an acknowledgement of the great effort and intention our schools give to creating schools of character.” Vestavia Hills superintendent Todd Freeman said today.

Cahaba Heights, Dolly Ridge, and Pizitz join three other VHCS schools which have earned the State School of Character designation in the past five years: Vestavia Hills Elementary West (2021), Vestavia Hills Elementary East (2022), and Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park (2024). All three schools were later named National Schools of Character.

The 2025 National Schools of Character will be announced in May.