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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MOBILE COUNTY·NCES 010237000944

Orchard Elementary School

6400 Howells Ferry Rd, Mobile, AL 36618 · (251) 221-1571 · Mobile County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL622 STUDENTS
Enrollment
622
Elementary
DISTRICT 483 · STATE 480
Student : Teacher
22.0:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.2:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
82%
513 students
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 58%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K274%
Kindergarten9415%
Grade 110817%
Grade 210317%
Grade 311418%
Grade 49115%
Grade 58514%

This year's kindergarten class (94) is 11% larger than its 5th grade class (85).

Student demographics
31%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 63% · US 70%
White
315%
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 50% · US 43%
Hispanic
467%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 12% · US 30%
Black
51382%
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 31% · US 15%
Asian
20%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 1% · US 6%
Two+
264%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 4% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
33354%
Female
28946%

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Test scores

ACAP 2024-25 . % Proficient
English Language Arts
42.5%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
24.7%
AL avg 31.8%

What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alabama schools, those numbers are about 53 and 32.

Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
31.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
24.1%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.2pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 31% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 24% typical for Alabama schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alabama's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Orchard Elementary School

Orchard Elementary School's state test result (31.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Orchard Elementary School this school62282.5%31.3%
LIFE Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute
Montgomery
59982.5%19.1%
UW Clemon Elementary School
Adamsville
59077.6%25.4%
Dannelly Elementary School
Montgomery
58884.5%27.0%
South Hampton K8
Birmingham
51179.5%35.5%
Huffman Academy
Birmingham
77979.1%21.8%
Matched among Alabama elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Orchard Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn AlabamaIn Mobile County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
31.3%#492 of 626#39 of 52
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
24.7%#461 of 626#34 of 52
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
42.5%#521 of 626#42 of 52
Enrollment
ranked largest first
622#153 of 709#11 of 59
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
22.0:1#641 of 655#55 of 56
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
31.0%#487 of 658#36 of 56
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
82.5%#66 of 696#18 of 56
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+24.9%#48 of 262#1 of 21
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
622
+121 (+24%) vs 2020
-25% since 1990-91, when it was 834
Student : Teacher
22.0:1
was 20.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2562228.322.0:182% (513)
2023-2458526.322.2:183% (485)
2022-2353929.318.4:184% (455)
2020-215012420.9:184% (419)
2017-1849825.319.7:185% (424)
2015-164522418.8:160% (272)
2010-114453114.3:187% (388)
2000-016104413.9:175% (456)
1990-918343921.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Orchard Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students up 25% (498 to 622); teachers up 12% (25.3 to 28.3).

About Orchard Elementary School

Orchard Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school in Mobile, Alabama, (ZIP code 36618). Its 622 students are spread across pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in Alabama is about 480 students.

Orchard Elementary School is one of 85 schools in Mobile County, which enrolls 49,946 students in total.

Black students are the large majority at Orchard Elementary School, with 82% of enrollment. Other groups make up 7% Hispanic, 5% White, and 4% multiracial. Mobile County as a whole is about 36% Black, so the school's share is higher. Orchard Elementary School has a diversity index of 31%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Federal data list 28.3 full-time-equivalent teachers at Orchard Elementary School in 2024-25, for a ratio of 22.0:1. Among elementary schools in Alabama, the typical ratio is 17.0:1. The lunch program counts 82% of students at Orchard Elementary School as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. It compares with 67% for public schools in Mobile County.

Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 24.1% for Orchard Elementary School. The school posts 31.3%, 7.2 points above the prediction.

Orchard Elementary School is located in Mobile County, where median household income is about $58,880, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and about 12% of people live in poverty. Orchard Elementary School is one of 107 public schools in Mobile County, which together enroll about 59,070 students.

The closest public school, ClarkShaw Magnet School, is about 0.8 miles from Orchard Elementary School. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Orchard Elementary School places 4th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.

Federal records code the school's setting as City: Mid-size.

The 2024-25 enrollment of 622 was 24% higher than in 2020-21, when it was 501. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 20.9:1; by 2024-25 it was 22.0:1.

Community posts for Orchard Elementary School can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Mobile County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
412,590
Census ACS
Median income
$58,880
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
107
59,070 students

Quick facts

School name
Orchard Elementary School
District
Mobile County
Address
6400 Howells Ferry Rd, Mobile, AL 36618
Phone
(251) 221-1571
County
Mobile County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
622
Teachers (FTE)
28
Student–teacher ratio
22.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
513 (82%)
Locale
12-City: Mid-size
NCES ID
010237000944
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Mobile County
Other schools in Mobile
Other Orchard Elementary schools

6 other US public schools in 4 states are named Orchard Elementary. Orchard Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 7.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Orchard Elementary School
What is the total enrollment at Orchard Elementary School?
Orchard Elementary School enrolls approximately 622 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Orchard Elementary School serve?
Orchard Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does Orchard Elementary School have?
Orchard Elementary School employs 28 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 22.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Orchard Elementary School?
Student demographics at Orchard Elementary School are roughly 5% White, 7% Hispanic, 82% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Orchard Elementary School in?
Orchard Elementary School is part of Mobile County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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