UNA Pressroom

Kilby Laboratory Celebrates 50 Years of Accreditation

Aug. 29, 2024



Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Kilby Laboratory School, operated by the University of North Alabama, recently celebrated a unique milestone when the faculty and staff at the school, the only laboratory school in Alabama, were recognized for more than 50 years of excellence and accreditation by COGNIA. COGNIA is a global accreditation organization for educational institutions. In its 119-year history, COGNIA has served more than 40,000 institutions, working to provide insight and support that lead to improvement and excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership for schools.

Dr. Eric Kirkman, Director of Kilby, said he sees this recognition “both as an honor and as a testament to the hard work that the Kilby Laboratory School faculty and staff have put in over the years to make Kilby one of the top schools in the State of Alabama.”

Since 1974, Kilby has operated under the accreditation standards of AdvancED, which later became known as COGNIA. During that time, Kilby has maintained a long-standing tradition of excellence, highlighted by high achievements on state standardized tests and sustained success as a teacher-preparation site at UNA. As the only public-funded laboratory school in Alabama, Kilby has also grown in notoriety throughout the years, having been recognized for academic achievement and program excellence at local, state, national, and even international levels.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.