Rachel Patterson Elementary School

Rachel Patterson Elementary School is a moderately sized K-5 school in Atmore, Alabama, overseen by Escambia County. The school educates 509 students in grades 1 through 5.

Rachel Patterson Elementary School is one of 11 schools operated by Escambia County, a district that teaches 4,072 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Rachel Patterson Elementary School logs that the largest single group is Black, at 75% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% White, 6% multiracial, 2% Hispanic. That is noticeably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 30%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 21.2:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 17.0:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 85% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Escambia County runs at roughly 64%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Rachel Patterson Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 22.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 29.4%.

Across the wider county, Escambia County reports that the typical household earns roughly $48,225 per year, roughly 14% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Escambia County's 16 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,240 students), Rachel Patterson Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is A C Moore Primary School, roughly 1.1 miles away. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Rachel Patterson Elementary School at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 45.0%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 502 students in 2018 compared to 509 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 15.7:1 in 2018 to 21.2:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.