Bear Exploration Center

Bear Exploration Center is an elementary campus of middle-of-the-pack scale in Montgomery, Alabama, run under Montgomery County, teacheing 507 students in grades K through 5.

Across the 51 schools in Montgomery County (26,958 students total), Bear Exploration Center accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Bear Exploration Center logs that Black students make up the majority at 65%. Beyond that, the school shows 22% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Bear Exploration Center lists 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.8:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 17.0:1 average. Around 37% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Montgomery County (around 67%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Bear Exploration Center sits in the top 10% of Alabama schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 56.9%; actual is 79.2%, +22.3 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the area at large, Montgomery County reports that median household earnings sit near $59,386, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. Bear Exploration Center is one of 60 public schools in Montgomery County (combined enrollment of about 31,131 students).

Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Bear Exploration Center comes 1st of 9 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 39.1%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Five-year trend. Bear Exploration Center's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 519 (now 507). White enrollment moved from 47% to 22% across the same window.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.