Beginning in January of 2012, the Alabama State Board of Education embarked on a bold and transformation plan for K-12 public education known as PLAN 2020. Foundational to this plan was a new definition of a successful and prepared high school graduate informed by community colleges, institutions of higher education, and business and industry, rather than the misaligned concept of Adequate Yearly Progress as defined under No Child Left Behind. Over the past two years new standards have been adopted to create a trajectory toward college and career readiness for ALL students. New and meaningful assessments have replaced the laborious assessments of the last decade. A policy environment that promotes and rewards innovation and creativity has replaced one of compliance and uniformity, and, as a result, Alabama now has its highest recorded Graduation Rate--80%--all a result of unleashing the creativity at the local school and school system level. This report card includes a wide variety of data and financial information that, when taken together, provides a holistic picture of the world of K-12 education in the state of Alabama and the vast need that remains to insure every child becomes a graduate and every graduate is prepared for college, work, and adulthood in the 21st century. [For "Alabama's Education Report Card, 2011-2012," see ED544751.]