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Cora Castlen Elementary

Q: Is Cora Castlen Elementary a good school?

Cora Castlen Elementary ranks 188 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

188^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Cora Castlen Elementary is a PK-5 school in Grand Bay, AL, serving 423 students within the Mobile County district, and it has earned a 4-star rating for eight straight years.

This school consistently outperforms its peers, often by wide margins. In 3rd grade English, 87.88% of students are proficient, compared to just 55.76% across the district and 64.75% statewide. Science is a particular strength—4th graders score 20 to 36 percentage points above the district average year after year. What makes this even more impressive is that about 55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school's economically disadvantaged students rank in the 84th percentile statewide. That's a top-tier result. The school also excels with special education students, ranking in the 75th percentile. When compared to nearby Breitling Elementary, which serves a similar population just 2.3 miles away, Cora Castlen posts a 26-point advantage in 3rd grade English and ranks 188th statewide versus Breitling's 308th. It even matches the overall ranking of Dawes Intermediate, a school with a much more affluent student body.

Attendance has improved dramatically, with chronic absenteeism dropping from 21.7% in 2022-2023 to just 10.6% in 2024-2025—a 51% reduction that now beats both district and state averages. The school also spends less per student ($9,872) than several lower-performing neighbors like Mary W Burroughs Elementary and Pearl Haskew Elementary, proving it gets strong results with efficient resources. One area to watch is a dip in 4th grade English scores, but the strong recovery by 5th grade suggests effective interventions are in place. Overall, this is a school that delivers excellent outcomes for all students, especially those facing economic challenges.

423

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,872

Per pupil spending ?

55.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9960 School House Rd
Grand Bay, AL 36541-0276

(251) 865-6733

District: Mobile County

Students who attend Cora Castlen Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Grand Bay Middle School
High:	Alma Bryant High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.7%

African American:

7.6%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Cora Castlen Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 83rd percentile in 2019 → 73rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (62% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Mobile County

✓Above the Alabama median (73rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 83rd-percentile peak (2019) to 73rd (2026)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg46%

Alabama avg53%

188^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 50Elementary Schools in the Mobile County

93^rd of 139Mobile County among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	71.0	188 of 686	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	72.0	175 of 680	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.7	192 of 684	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	75.6	145 of 680	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	158 of 687	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	120 of 692	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	78.4	117 of 681	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	148 of 680	78.2%	★★★★☆
2017	60.0	262 of 688	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.7	240 of 691	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	43.4	407 of 691	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.4	403 of 695	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	63.9	269 of 696	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.8	384 of 696	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	65.1	258 of 709	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.8	327 of 704	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	58.6	307 of 696	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.3	355 of 698	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	58.3	317 of 698	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.7	162 of 689	76.5%	★★★★☆
2005	70.4	167 of 688	75.7%	★★★★☆
2004	60.4	239 of 623	61.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	74.5	66 of 426	84.5%	★★★★☆
2017	42.6	184 of 336	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	190 of 652	70.9%	★★★★☆
2025	63.4	231 of 649	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.7	210 of 650	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.7	174 of 645	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	73.7	139 of 656	78.8%	★★★★☆
2021	77.8	108 of 656	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.9	102 of 646	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.7	154 of 640	75.9%	★★★★☆
2017	51.0	322 of 639	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	76.7	105 of 668	84.3%	★★★★☆
2025	73.7	131 of 660	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	134 of 670	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	103 of 623	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	94 of 651	85.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.2	66 of 653	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	69.5	145 of 649	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.7	123 of 651	81.1%	★★★★☆
2017	74.5	88 of 567	84.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	184 of 660	72.1%	★★★★☆
2025	77.7	121 of 651	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	72.8	162 of 655	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	128 of 649	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	182 of 669	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	73.1	143 of 669	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	72.8	151 of 650	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	77.1	137 of 650	78.9%	★★★★☆
2017	65.0	194 of 639	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	65.2	102 of 403	74.7%	★★★★☆
2025	54.7	145 of 403	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.9	57 of 395	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	50 of 373	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	81 of 345	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	53.6	144 of 398	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.0	85 of 392	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	42.5	186 of 344	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	58.4	87 of 280	68.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	242 of 500	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.7	209 of 532	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	240 of 535	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.9	148 of 528	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	59.9	191 of 540	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.9	149 of 539	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.7	144 of 529	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	58.6	199 of 508	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	34.1	253 of 369	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2022)85th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)75th percentile~ school

Male (2026)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile~ school

White (2026)52nd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English76%+11 vs state

Science66%+15 vs state

Mathematics48%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cora Castlen Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cora Castlen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9960 School House Rd	Grand Bay	36541	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 865-6733	423	22	19.2	55.1%	337 (79.7%)	32 (7.6%)	16 (3.8%)	9 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.6%)	71	188^th of 686 public elementary schools	72.6%		72	175^th of 680 public elementary schools	74.3%	13	51.5	49.3	41.8	65.7	87.9	58.2	82.1	$9,872	$1,142	$8,720
Breitling Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8350 Grand Bay Wilmer Rd	Grand Bay	36541	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 865-0900	471	27	17.4	59.4%	406 (86.2%)	17 (3.6%)	26 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	55.8	308^th of 686 public elementary schools	55.1%		50.5	352^nd of 680 public elementary schools	48.2%	44	47.9	45.0	44.9	62.5	62.0	58.8	58.4	$10,661	$1,970	$8,682
Anna F Booth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17001 Hurricane Blvd	Irvington	36544	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 824-1740	391	23	17.0	70.6%	280 (71.6%)	34 (8.7%)	19 (4.9%)	24 (6.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.4%)	63.2	249^th of 686 public elementary schools	63.7%		65.5	226^th of 680 public elementary schools	66.8%	23	42.1	54.6	48.1	74.6	60.5	55.6	75.0	$9,465	$1,306	$8,149
Saint Elmo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8666 McDonald Rd	Irvington	36544	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 957-6314	451	25	18.2	71.0%	228 (50.6%)	76 (16.9%)	63 (14.0%)	36 (8.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (10.0%)	56.8	296^th of 686 public elementary schools	56.9%		53.7	325^th of 680 public elementary schools	52.2%	29	45.5	36.7	34.8	66.7	66.7	55.0	75.7	$9,493	$1,423	$8,060
Dixon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8650 Four Mile Rd	Irvington	36544	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 824-4314	526	28	18.7	70.2%	351 (66.7%)	58 (11.0%)	37 (7.0%)	30 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.3%)	38.4	443^rd of 686 public elementary schools	35.4%		25.8	505^th of 680 public elementary schools	25.7%	62	18.7	29.8	21.9	62.8	50.7	62.8	61.6	$9,108	$1,387	$7,711
Pearl Haskew Elementary	Public	K-5	7001 White Oak Drive	Irvington	36544	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1850	546	28	19.7	71.2%	394 (72.2%)	50 (9.2%)	46 (8.4%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (9.2%)	47	382^nd of 686 public elementary schools	44.3%		50.3	353^rd of 680 public elementary schools	48.1%	29	37.1	27.6	44.6	45.9	70.8	49.0	68.5	$10,693	$1,670	$9,013
Meadowlake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8251 Three Notch Rd	Mobile	36619	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1529	373	21	17.9	63.0%	203 (54.4%)	81 (21.7%)	40 (10.7%)	12 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	33 (8.8%)	41.6	418^th of 686 public elementary schools	39.1%		37.9	442^nd of 680 public elementary schools	35.0%	24	32.1	41.5	32.8	56.9	56.6	53.9	52.5	$9,796	$1,299	$8,487
Dawes Intermediate School	Public	3-5	10451 West Lake Road	Mobile	36695	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	No	(251) 221-1485	515	25	20.8	37.9%	309 (60.0%)	100 (19.4%)	51 (9.9%)	26 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.4%)	70.9	189^th of 686 public elementary schools	72.4%		75.1	154^th of 680 public elementary schools	77.4%	35	44.5	51.6	40.0	68.6	75.3	70.7	82.5	$8,434	$724	$7,699
Hutchens Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	10005 West Lake Rd	Mobile	36695	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	No	(251) 221-1420	539	33	16.3	41.6%	321 (59.6%)	93 (17.3%)	43 (8.0%)	21 (3.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (10.9%)								(n/a)								$10,910	$2,468	$8,432
Nan Gray Davis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6900 Nan Gray Davis Rd	Theodore	36582	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1166	499	26	19.1	71.1%	232 (46.5%)	152 (30.5%)	57 (11.4%)	9 (1.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (9.0%)	38.1	445^th of 686 public elementary schools	35.1%		39.6	425^th of 680 public elementary schools	37.5%	20	31.5	26.0	34.8	45.2	58.9	56.2	59.4	$9,336	$1,737	$7,589

Frequently Asked Questions about Cora Castlen Elementary

Is Cora Castlen Elementary a good school?

Cora Castlen Elementary ranks 188^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cora Castlen Elementary?

Students at Cora Castlen Elementary are 80% White, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Cora Castlen Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Cora Castlen Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cora Castlen Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cora Castlen Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Grand Bay Middle School
High : Alma Bryant High School

What district is Cora Castlen Elementary in?

Mobile County

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.