Summary:
Zip code 36578 is home to a single public elementary school, Stapleton School, which serves grades PK through 6 and enrolls 203 students in the Baldwin County district—a highly rated system ranked in the top 25% of Alabama districts with a 4-star rating.
For parents, Stapleton School offers a strong, well-resourced education with notable strengths in English and science. In 2025-2026, English proficiency ranged from 56.5% in 6th grade to an impressive 80% in 5th grade, consistently beating state averages across all grades. Science in 4th grade was a standout at 68.75% proficient, well above the district (59.5%) and state (50.2%). The school also benefits from a favorable 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio and a high per-student spending of $13,754, which likely supports its low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.7%—better than both the district (11.2%) and state (12.0%). Nearly 48% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting moderate economic diversity.
The main concern is mathematics, particularly a dramatic "6th grade cliff." Math proficiency drops from 45% in 5th grade to just 21.7% in 6th grade, far below the district (44.4%) and state (35.2%) averages. This suggests a transition challenge in upper-grade math. Additionally, year-to-year scores are volatile—3rd-grade math fell from 77.4% to 50% in one year—likely due to small class sizes skewing percentages. While the school ranks in the top 35% of Alabama elementary schools, parents should be aware that math support may be needed as children approach 6th grade, even though literacy and science instruction are clear strengths.
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