Cora Castlen Elementary

Cora Castlen Elementary is an elementary-level community of reasonably sized scale in Grand Bay, Alabama, overseen by Mobile County, teacheing 423 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Cora Castlen Elementary is one of 85 schools operated by Mobile County, a district that hosts 49,946 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Cora Castlen Elementary reports that 80% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 8% Black, 7% multiracial, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian. That is meaningfully more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 56%.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 19.2:1. The state averages around 17.0:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 55% of students at Cora Castlen Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Mobile County runs at roughly 67%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Cora Castlen Elementary ranks in the top 10% of Alabama public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 43.9%; Cora Castlen Elementary posts 61.4%, +17.4 points above that line.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Mobile County indicate median household income runs about $58,880, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Cora Castlen Elementary is one of 107 public schools in Mobile County (combined enrollment of about 59,070 students).

The closest other public school is Grand Bay Middle School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cora Castlen Elementary ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 33.2%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 9%: 466 students in 2018 compared to 423 in 2025. Class-load math has loosened: from 17.3:1 in 2018 to 19.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.