The school has a Van Nuys address and serves Lake Balboa, parts of Encino, and Amestoy Estates.

The hospital was named after Brigadier General Henry Patrick Birmingham (1854–1932), with the World War I US Army Medical Corps.

Originally it served children grades seven to 12 from families newly settled in the San Fernando Valley.

[3] The same year, Marsha Coates, the principal, established "small learning communities" and a ninth-grade academy in order to cater to incoming students.

[9] After the charter was approved, 91 teachers continued to teach at Birmingham while 34 decided to leave to work at other LAUSD schools.

[12] Its attendance boundary includes Lake Balboa,[13] and portions of Van Nuys, Encino,[14] Tarzana, and Reseda.

[15] In 2006 Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "It would be easy to see Birmingham as just another bad public school.

"[16] He cited the Daniel Pearl Journalism Magnet, the "dedicated core of teachers" and the "variety of honors and Advanced Placement classes.

"[16] Landsberg stated that despite the demographic changes that came before 2006, "academic standards have not suffered; if anything, a Birmingham diploma today is more difficult to obtain than it was a generation ago.

These courses include: Art History, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Human Geography, Psychology, United States Government and Politics, English Language and Composition, European History, Human Geography, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, Studio Art: 2-D Design, Studio Art: Drawing, and United States History.

[19] In 2006 Mitchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Many students thrived at Birmingham", but "many others struggled, or gave up and quit.

[7] A Civil Rights Project at Harvard University/University of California, Los Angeles published a report in the northern hemisphere Spring of 2005 that stated that the four year graduation rate at Birmingham was 50%.

Other shows filmed at Birmingham High School include Nip/Tuck, NCIS, Cold Case, Scrubs, The Office, Ghost Whisperer and Monk.

The movie “The Boy Next Door” with Jennifer Lopez The school's football field was used as a set for the shoot of the music video for Angels & Airwaves' song "Everything's Magic".

The track surrounding the football field served as the location for the relay race scene starring Kirk Cameron in Like Father Like Son.

[20] Although Cortines gave discipline[clarification needed] against principal Marcia Coates and athletic director Rick Prizant, Cortines stated that the discipline could not be enforced, because, since Birmingham was becoming a charter school, Coates and Prizant would no longer be LAUSD employees.

Gerald Kleinman, the principal at the time, stated that the school's mascot committee believed the "Blue Devil" was an inappropriate choice and overruled the students, instead choosing the "Patriot".