Shelby County School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Alabama)
Are Shelby County schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.
Live status monitored for Shelby County Schools (SCS), Hoover City Schools (HCS), Alabaster City Schools (ACS), and Pelham City Schools (PCS).
How Shelby County Schools Announces Closures
Shelby County Schools (SCS) posts closures and delays on its official website at shelbyed.k12.al.us and notifies enrolled families directly through SchoolMessenger, the district’s automated phone, email, and text alert system. Families can also sign up for the district email listserv at the district website to receive updates sent from school principals and the district office. The district aims to make closure decisions as early as possible — ideally by 5:00–5:30 AM on the morning of a closure — allowing families time to arrange childcare before the school day begins.
For Birmingham-area television coverage, Fox 6 WBRC (wbrc.com/weather/closings/), CBS 42 WIAT (cbs42.com/weather/closings/), NBC 13 WVTM, and ABC 33/40 (abc3340.com/weather/closings) all report Shelby County school closings and delays, often receiving district announcements at the same time as the official website post. This page monitors all four stations alongside the official district website so parents receive the earliest possible alert without checking multiple sources.
Weather Risks That Trigger Shelby County School Closings
- Ice storms and freezing rain: The most common cause of Shelby County school closings. Alabama roads are not equipped with the salt trucks and de-icing gear common in northern states, so even a quarter-inch of ice accumulation on bridges and elevated roadways is enough to trigger a district-wide closure.
- Winter snowfall and black ice: Shelby County receives occasional snow events, often accompanied by black ice on shaded rural roads and highway overpasses. Because temperatures can linger just below freezing, these conditions frequently persist through the morning and warrant delayed starts or full closures.
- Tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms: Alabama sits in a region with one of the highest tornado frequencies in the United States. The district may cancel school or issue early dismissals when the Storm Prediction Center issues tornado watches or warnings for Shelby County, particularly during the primary tornado season in spring (March through May) and the secondary season in late fall.
- Flash flooding: Heavy rainfall associated with slow-moving storm systems can flood low-water bridges and rural roads throughout Shelby County, making bus routes impassable and triggering closures or delays.
- Dense fog: Fog advisories, particularly in the valleys and lower-elevation portions of Shelby County, can reduce visibility below safe thresholds for school buses. The district may issue a 1–2 hour delay to allow fog to lift before dismissing buses.
- Extreme cold: Prolonged below-freezing temperatures — unusual for central Alabama — can affect heating systems in older school buildings and create hazardous conditions for students waiting at bus stops, sometimes prompting delayed starts.
- Tropical remnants and heavy rain: Remnants of Gulf Coast tropical systems occasionally bring sustained heavy rainfall and gusty winds to central Alabama, causing flooding and road hazards that may prompt district action.
Frequently Asked Questions — Shelby County School Closings
How early does Shelby County Schools announce school closures?
Shelby County Schools (SCS) typically posts closure and delay decisions by 5:00–5:30 AM on the morning of an event. For anticipated winter weather or severe storms, the district may post an announcement the evening before. Official notifications go out via the district website at shelbyed.k12.al.us and through SchoolMessenger alerts to enrolled families. This page checks those sources automatically so you do not need to monitor them individually.
What is the difference between a closure and a delay for Shelby County schools?
A full closure means all Shelby County Schools campuses are closed for the day and no in-person classes take place. A delayed start (most commonly a 2-hour delay) means schools open later than the normal bell time to give road crews time to treat icy surfaces or for fog to clear. Early dismissal means students are sent home before the end of the normal school day, typically when severe weather is developing during the afternoon. Each type of status is monitored and displayed separately on this page.
Do all Shelby County schools close at the same time, or can individual schools close separately?
Shelby County Schools operates as a single county-wide district, so closure and delay decisions generally apply to all 31 schools simultaneously. However, Hoover City Schools, Alabaster City Schools, and Pelham City Schools are separate independent districts that make their own decisions — meaning SCS could be closed while HCS or ACS remains open, or vice versa. This page tracks all four districts in real time so you can see the status for each independently.
Which local TV stations report Shelby County school closings?
Fox 6 WBRC, CBS 42 WIAT, NBC 13 WVTM, and ABC 33/40 are the four major Birmingham TV stations that report Shelby County school closings. All four publish closings lists on their weather pages during winter weather and severe weather events. This page monitors all four stations automatically alongside the official district website, so you get the fastest combined detection without visiting multiple sources.
How often is this page updated?
Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, and every 5 minutes during active weather alerts or when a closure has been detected. During tornado season (March through May) and winter weather events in Shelby County, the page refreshes more frequently in the background. The timestamp in the “Live · Updated” bar at the top of the dashboard shows the exact time of the most recent check.
Does Shelby County Schools use a notification app to alert parents?
Yes. Shelby County Schools uses SchoolMessenger to send automated phone calls, emails, and text messages to enrolled families when a closure or delay is declared. Families should ensure their contact information is current in the district’s system to receive these alerts. In addition, the district’s email listserv allows subscribers to receive updates directly from their school. This page provides an independent monitoring layer on top of those official channels.
Shelby County Schools — School Roster
Shelby County Schools (SCS) — High Schools
- Calera High School
- Chelsea High School
- Helena High School
- Montevallo High School
- Oak Mountain High School
- Shelby County High School
- Vincent High School
- Shelby County Career Technical Education Center
- New Direction Learning Center
Shelby County Schools (SCS) — Middle Schools
- Calera Middle School
- Chelsea Middle School
- Columbiana Middle School
- Helena Middle School
- Montevallo Middle School
- Oak Mountain Middle School
Shelby County Schools (SCS) — Intermediate Schools
- Calera Intermediate School
- Helena Intermediate School
- Oak Mountain Intermediate School
Shelby County Schools (SCS) — Elementary Schools
- Calera Elementary School
- Chelsea Park Elementary School
- Elvin Hill Elementary School
- Forest Oaks Elementary School
- Helena Elementary School
- Inverness Elementary School
- Montevallo Elementary School
- Mt. Laurel Elementary School
- Oak Mountain Elementary School
- Shelby Elementary School
- Vincent Elementary School
- Wilsonville Elementary School
Shelby County Schools (SCS) — Special Needs
- Linda Nolen Learning Center
Hoover City Schools (HCS) — High Schools
- Hoover High School
- Spain Park High School
Hoover City Schools (HCS) — Middle Schools
- Berry Middle School
- Bumpus Middle School
- Simmons Middle School
Hoover City Schools (HCS) — Intermediate & Elementary Schools
- Brock’s Gap Intermediate School
- Bluff Park Elementary School
- Deer Valley Elementary School
- Green Valley Elementary School
- Greystone Elementary School
- Harriette W. Gwin Elementary School
- Riverchase Elementary School
- Rocky Ridge Elementary School
- Shades Mountain Elementary School
- South Shades Crest School
- Trace Crossings Elementary School
Alabaster City Schools (ACS)
- Thompson High School
- Thompson Middle School
- Thompson Intermediate School
- Creek View Elementary School
- Meadow View Elementary School
Pelham City Schools (PCS)
- Pelham High School
- Pelham Park Middle School
- Pelham Oaks Elementary School
- Pelham Ridge Elementary School
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