BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama Public Charter School Commission on Monday approved the merger of Invictus Career Institute and Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, the first merger of charter schools approved by the state commission.
Invictus had plans to open in 2027, while AAAHS began serving students in 2022.
Enrollment projections show about 300 students are expected to attend the new merged school, called Alabama Career Institute, for the 2027-28 school year. AAAHS currently enrolls about 180 students.
Alabama Aerospace CEO Reuben Morris told commissioners the merger would allow the schools to provide options to students in the Bessemer community without creating unnecessary competition for enrollment.
The merged Alabama Career Institute is expected to open in fall 2027 as a grades 6-12 school offering two career pathways.
AAAHS, which currently serves students in ninth through 12th grade, will carry its existing aerospace and aviation program into the new school, while Invictus Career Institute, which initially planned to serve sixth through 12th graders, will add its planned health sciences program and middle-school model.
Students in grades 6-8 would explore both fields before choosing a pathway in high school.
The commission unanimously approved the merger application. Following the vote, Morris formally withdrew Alabama Aerospace’s separate charter renewal application. Commission attorney Lane Knight said the commission would instead move forward with executing a charter contract for the merged school.
Renewals
The commission also approved five-year charter renewals for Empower Community School, which opened for students in 2022, and Acceleration Day and Evening Academy, which opened as Alabama’s first public charter school in 2017.
Both votes were unanimous.
Staff said concerns identified during the renewal reviews would be incorporated into the schools’ new charter contracts and performance frameworks rather than preventing renewal. Staff did not detail all of those concerns during the meeting, though commissioners discussed Empower’s math performance.
Commissioners specifically discussed Empower students’ math performance. Commissioner Cynthia McCarty called the scores disappointing and urged the school to develop a strong improvement plan.
Just under 7% of Empower’s students reached proficiency in math on the 2025-26 ACAP test. That is up from 2.2% the previous year.
School officials said Empower is working with the Alabama State Department of Education’s Office of Math Instruction, has a math coach, uses state curriculum and outside professional development, and has hired certified secondary math teachers.