Summary:
The city of Calera, Alabama, is served by two elementary schools within the Shelby County district, together educating roughly 1,513 students in grades K-5. Calera Elementary handles kindergarten through 2nd grade with 766 students, while Calera Intermediate School serves grades 3-5 with 747 students. Both schools share a similar socioeconomic profile, with about two-thirds of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a predominantly economically disadvantaged population.
When comparing the two schools, Calera Elementary has a larger student-teacher ratio (18.2:1) and higher per-student spending ($10,354) but struggles with chronic absenteeism at 16.4%, well above the district average of 11.0%. In contrast, Calera Intermediate School maintains a more favorable 15:1 ratio and lower absenteeism (10.7%), while showing strong recent momentum—improving its state ranking from the 35th to 45th percentile between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. Academically, Calera Intermediate trails the district average across most subjects, with 4th grade math showing the largest gap (36.18% proficiency vs. 54.03% district). However, 5th grade English Language Arts is a bright spot at 70.75% proficiency, exceeding the state average.
Several trends stand out for parents. Calera Intermediate has shown year-over-year improvement in nearly every subject, with math gains ranging from +5.54 to +7.20 percentage points. Math proficiency declines as students progress, dropping from 45.78% in 3rd grade to 36.18% in 4th grade before partially recovering in 5th grade. The chronic absenteeism disparity between the two schools serving the same community is notable and may warrant attention, especially given the lasting impact of early-grade absences. While Calera Elementary's ranking data is outdated (2007-2008), the district's overall 4-star rating and 79th percentile state ranking suggest strong systemic support, even as these schools work to close achievement gaps.
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