East Lake, about 540 acres on 1st Avenue North, is zoned for Barrett Elementary and Woodlawn High. ZIP 35206 was $99,980 in September 2026, per Zillow.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Birmingham’s 23 communities and 99 neighborhoods list and neighborhood boundary files, its comprehensive plan (PDF) and parks list; Birmingham City Schools’ Find My Zone; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2025; Zillow Research; MAX Transit’s schedule data; and OpenStreetMap.
East Lake is one of six neighborhoods in the city’s East Lake community, with Brown Springs, Gate City, North East Lake, Wahouma and Zion City. The neighborhood itself covers about 540 acres along 1st Avenue North east of Woodlawn. The city’s comprehensive plan says East Lake began in the late 1800s as one of the city’s new working-class suburbs, and it lists East Lake as a “priority choice” for strategic action, citing commercial development on 1st Avenue North, “good housing stock” and “two good parks.” The plan also notes that developers had renovated single-family homes for sale or rent there.
What this means for you
- Zoned high school: Woodlawn High, 5620 1st Ave. N. (2025 state report card: 61, a D).
- Home value: $99,980 in ZIP 35206 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
- Nearest interstate exit: I-20 exit 132A (Oporto-Madrid Boulevard), about 2.1 miles by road.
Part of our Birmingham neighborhoods guide.
Where it is
On the city’s boundary map East Lake has North East Lake to the north, Brown Springs to the east, Gate City to the south and Woodlawn to the west. 1st Avenue North (U.S. 11) runs through it. About three-fifths of the neighborhood is in ZIP code 35206 and the rest in 35212.
Schools
We checked 27 points spread across the neighborhood in the district’s Find My Zone tool, and every one returned the same three schools. Scores are each school’s overall score on the 2025 state report card (the 2024-25 school year).
| Level | School | Address | 2025 score (grade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Barrett Elementary | 7601 Division Ave. | 66 (D) |
| Middle (grades 5-8) | Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle | 501 81st St. S. | 64 (D) |
| High | Woodlawn High | 5620 1st Ave. N. | 61 (D) |
Barrett Elementary is inside the neighborhood. Birmingham City Schools as a whole scored 77 (C). Check one address in Find My Zone. More in our schools guide.
Home values
From the Zillow Home Value Index, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price:
| ZIP code | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35206 | $99,980 | $103,754 | -3.6% |
| 35212 | $115,880 | $121,498 | -4.6% |
| Birmingham, citywide | $134,165 | $137,465 | -2.4% |
35206 also covers Roebuck Springs and other east-side neighborhoods, and 35212 covers Woodlawn and Crestwood North, so neither is an East Lake figure alone. More in our home prices and property taxes guides.
Parks and trails
From the city’s parks list, with the acreage it gives:
- Downey Park, 10.31 acres, 6800 Dublin Ave., inside the neighborhood.
- East Lake Park, 60.22 acres, just north in North East Lake. The city’s pools list includes an East Lake pool; pools are closed for the season.
OpenStreetMap also maps Beulah Lewis Park just outside the neighborhood line. More in our parks and trails guide.
Getting around
- Interstates: I-20 exit 132A (Oporto-Madrid Boulevard), about 2.1 miles by road from the middle of the neighborhood. I-59 exit 131 also serves Oporto-Madrid Boulevard. Exit names are from OpenStreetMap’s ramp signs.
- City Hall: about 5.8 miles by road.
- Airport: about 2.6 miles by road to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine; they are distances, not drive times.
- Buses: MAX Transit Route 25 Centerpoint has 20 stops inside the neighborhood in the schedule data valid through Oct. 28.
More in our getting around guide.
Groceries and everyday stores
From OpenStreetMap:
- Piggly Wiggly, 6501 1st Ave. N., inside the neighborhood.
- CVS Pharmacy, 7501 1st Ave. N., inside the neighborhood.
- Village Market, 7737 2nd Ave. S., just south in South East Lake.
The East Lake Branch Library, 5 Oporto-Madrid Blvd. S., just outside the line, reopened in June 2025 after four years with a new elevator and foyer, updated restrooms and a refreshed auditorium, according to the city’s announcement. The branch number is 205-836-3341.
Neighborhood association
East Lake elects its own neighborhood officers under the city’s Citizen Participation Program. The city’s Community Resource Services Division lists Flora Johnson as the contact for the East Lake community, 205-254-2423, on its staff page.
How we drew this area
The area is the East Lake neighborhood polygon in the city’s open data boundary file, checked Oct. 17, 2026. School zones are from 27 sample points in the district’s Find My Zone tool; ZIP codes are from Census ZIP code areas. Place and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Frequently asked questions
What schools is East Lake in Birmingham zoned for?
Barrett Elementary, Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle and Woodlawn High, at all 27 points we checked in the district’s Find My Zone tool. They scored 66, 64 and 61 on the 2025 state report card.
Is East Lake Park in the East Lake neighborhood?
Not on the city’s boundary map. The 60-acre East Lake Park is just north, in the North East Lake neighborhood. Downey Park, 10.31 acres at 6800 Dublin Ave., is inside East Lake.
What is the typical home value in East Lake?
Most of East Lake is in ZIP code 35206, where the Zillow Home Value Index was $99,980 in September 2026, down 3.6% in a year. The rest is in 35212, at $115,880.
Is East Lake a good place to live?
Here are the facts. East Lake is a 540-acre neighborhood on 1st Avenue North with Downey Park, a renovated branch library next door and MAX Route 25, zoned for Woodlawn High (61 on the 2025 state report card); the typical home value in ZIP 35206 was $99,980 in September 2026, according to Zillow.
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