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Erwin Craighead Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

611^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Erwin Craighead Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Mobile, AL, serving 380 students in a predominantly low-income area, with over 81% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school is part of the Mobile County school district and has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Alabama elementary schools over the past decade, currently holding a 1-star rating.

Academically, Erwin Craighead's test scores trail both district and state averages across all subjects. For example, in 2025-2026, only 7% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to 34% district-wide and 39% statewide. The school shows a relative strength in English Language Arts, where 43% of 5th graders were proficient, but math performance has declined sharply in recent years. Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically from 41% in 2021-2022 to 14% in 2024-2025, though it still slightly exceeds district and state averages. When compared to nearby schools, Erwin Craighead outperforms George Hall Elementary (1st percentile) but lags behind Leinkauf Elementary (31st percentile). The starkest contrast is with magnet schools like W H Council Traditional School and EicholdMertz School of Math and Science, both ranking in the 99th percentile, which highlights significant educational inequity within the same district.

There are some encouraging signs. The school has shown pockets of success with certain student subgroups, and 4th-grade science proficiency (31%) was notably higher than math proficiency (19%) in 2025-2026, suggesting a possible instructional strength. However, special education services have seen a dramatic decline in performance, dropping from the 48th percentile to the 3rd percentile in one year. At $9,785 per student, spending is slightly above the district average, yet similar or higher spending at nearby struggling schools suggests that funding alone isn't the answer. For parents, this school faces real challenges, but the improving attendance and relative strength in English offer some hope amid the broader concerns.

380

Students ?

19.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,602

Per pupil spending ?

81.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 South Ann St
Mobile, AL 36605

(251) 221-1155

District: Mobile County

Students who attend Erwin Craighead Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Calloway Smith Middle School
High:	Ben C Rain High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.9%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Hispanic:

2.1%

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Compare Erwin Craighead Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (28% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg46%

Alabama avg53%

611^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

43^rd of 50Elementary Schools in the Mobile County

95^th of 140Mobile 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	13.3	611 of 686	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	526 of 680	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	522 of 684	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	539 of 680	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	547 of 687	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	617 of 692	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	568 of 681	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.1	652 of 680	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.7	595 of 688	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.9	610 of 691	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	626 of 691	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.2	597 of 695	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.2	543 of 696	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	33.6	554 of 696	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	59.3	329 of 709	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.3	319 of 704	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	40.8	478 of 696	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	34.3	535 of 698	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	40.5	474 of 698	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.1	269 of 689	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	52.6	340 of 688	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	26.1	500 of 623	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	331 of 428	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.1	218 of 427	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	202 of 420	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	223 of 427	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.4	222 of 426	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	322 of 426	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	282 of 426	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.8	391 of 423	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	10.3	614 of 651	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.6	605 of 649	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	517 of 650	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	469 of 645	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	562 of 656	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	615 of 656	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	531 of 646	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	595 of 640	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	18.1	548 of 639	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	21 of 30	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.6	30 of 38	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	37 of 39	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	581 of 667	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.1	469 of 660	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.3	491 of 670	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	445 of 623	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	497 of 651	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	574 of 653	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	510 of 649	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	611 of 651	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.6	476 of 567	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	552 of 659	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.9	428 of 651	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.5	496 of 655	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	534 of 649	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	506 of 669	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	568 of 669	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	553 of 650	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	626 of 650	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	568 of 639	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	15.8	389 of 403	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	42.6	207 of 395	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.3	335 of 345	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	359 of 398	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.4	326 of 392	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.2	304 of 344	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	246 of 280	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2026)30th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)23rd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)16th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English41%-24 vs state

Science31%-19 vs state

Mathematics14%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Erwin Craighead Elementary School

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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 (2023)
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
Erwin Craighead Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 South Ann St	Mobile	36605	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1155	380	19	19.8	81.6%	5 (1.3%)	353 (92.9%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	13.3	611^th of 686 public elementary schools	10.9%		22.3	526^th of 680 public elementary schools	22.6%	85	15.8	18.5	7.1	31.5	36.8	42.6	42.9	$13,602	$4,570	$8,948
George Hall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1108 Antwerp St	Mobile	36605	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1345	244	14	17.0	85.2%	3 (1.2%)	234 (95.9%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	5.1	679^th of 686 public elementary schools	1.0%		8.2	653^rd of 680 public elementary schools	4.0%	26	6.1	6.1	6.3	20.6	16.3	21.2	39.4	$16,039	$6,229	$9,726
Leinkauf Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1410 Monroe St	Mobile	36604	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1495	542	27	19.8	87.3%	10 (1.8%)	477 (88.0%)	23 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.9%)	33.7	468^th of 686 public elementary schools	31.8%		41.9	407^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.1%	61	37.4	30.7	49.2	21.8	56.0	37.6	58.5	$12,333	$3,301	$8,942
W H Council Traditional School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	751 Wilkinson St	Mobile	36603	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-1139	577	31	18.6	48.4%	93 (16.1%)	418 (72.4%)	9 (1.6%)	24 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.5%)	96.8	10^th of 686 public elementary schools	98.5%		97.2	6^th of 680 public elementary schools	99.1%	4	92.5	78.7	69.4	86.7	100.0	96.0	95.2	$11,006	$1,969	$8,948
Maryvale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1901 N Maryvale St	Mobile	36605	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1810	475	26	18.0	89.3%	11 (2.3%)	417 (87.8%)	24 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.6%)	11.1	634^th of 686 public elementary schools	7.6%		12.9	610^th of 680 public elementary schools	10.3%	24	18.8	14.8	23.7	14.8	41.8	25.9	35.6	$13,150	$3,762	$9,301
Florence Howard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	957 Dr Martin L King Jr Ave	Mobile	36603	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1406	497	26	18.8	92.0%	5 (1.0%)	466 (93.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.4%)	27.9	500^th of 686 public elementary schools	27.1%		27.2	495^th of 680 public elementary schools	27.2%	5	12.0	9.1	14.8	47.0	30.7	54.6	75.4	$14,300	$3,846	$10,365
EicholdMertz School of Math and Science	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2815 Government Street	Mobile	36606	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	Yes	No	No	(251) 221-1105	504	26	19.3	38.1%	140 (27.8%)	285 (56.5%)	17 (3.4%)	19 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.3%)	97.8	4^th of 686 public elementary schools	99.4%		98.3	3^rd of 680 public elementary schools	99.6%	1	88.4	88.1	91.0	95.2	96.5	95.2	95.5	$12,853	$3,059	$9,707
SpencerWestlawn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3071 Ralston Rd	Mobile	36606	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1705	428	24	17.5	90.2%	12 (2.8%)	379 (88.6%)	14 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	29.9	488^th of 686 public elementary schools	28.9%		28.9	482^nd of 680 public elementary schools	29.1%	6	40.6	18.6	19.3	23.2	50.0	55.7	64.9	$13,716	$4,286	$9,341
UCP Of Mobile Inc	Public	PK-K	3058 Dauphin Square Connector	Mobile	36607	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	No	(251) 479-4900																			(n/a)
Holloway Elementary	Public	K-5	625 Stanton Rd	Mobile	36617	Mobile County	Mobile County	No	No	No	Yes	(251) 221-1391	483	29	16.4	92.8%	1 (0.2%)	460 (95.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.5%)	11.4	629^th of 686 public elementary schools	8.3%		15.6	582^nd of 680 public elementary schools	14.4%	47	17.7	14.1	11.4	19.2	29.1	37.2	51.9	$13,591	$4,089	$9,409

Frequently Asked Questions about Erwin Craighead Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Erwin Craighead Elementary School?

Students at Erwin Craighead Elementary School are 93% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Erwin Craighead Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Erwin Craighead Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Calloway Smith Middle School
High : Ben C Rain High School

What district is Erwin Craighead Elementary School in?

Mobile County

Is Erwin Craighead Elementary School a good school?

Erwin Craighead Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.9% of Alabama elementary schools.

How many students attend Erwin Craighead Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended Erwin Craighead Elementary School.

Rate Erwin Craighead Elementary School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataNewOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

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.