W J Carroll Intermediate School, Daphne AL

Original Research by School Decision on W J Carroll Intermediate School

W J Carroll Intermediate School serves students in fourth through sixth grade in Daphne, a fast-growing residential suburb on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The school is part of the Baldwin County district, which covers a region that ranks among Alabama’s faster-growing metropolitan areas. Daphne itself has seen a strong population increase in recent years, with a mix of suburban neighborhoods, business parks, and bayfront amenities. The city’s civic anchors include a library, a recreational center, and multiple bay access points, and its growth is reflected in ongoing residential and commercial development.

Carroll Intermediate is a regular public school with an enrollment that is sizable for an intermediate grade band. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives the school a higher-need demographic profile than some of its peers. Racially, the student body is predominantly white, with a notable Black student population and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about supports for those populations.

State testing results from the most recent school year show a clear split by subject. In English language arts, across all three grades, a strong majority of students met proficiency standards, with the highest rate in fourth grade. That pattern positions Carroll as a solid performer in reading and writing. In math, the picture is more mixed. Fourth-grade students posted a moderate proficiency rate, while fifth and sixth graders were lower, and the overall math proficiency across grades landed below the midpoint relative to other schools in Baldwin County. In science, which is tested only in fourth grade, about three in five students were proficient. The data covers only one school year, so there is no trend line yet to show whether these results are stable, improving, or declining.

Because the school serves only intermediate grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data was not available, but that gap often reflects the fact that such measures are less commonly published for elementary and middle schools.

The school does not have a charter or magnet designation, and its Title I status was not listed in the available data. A parent interested in whether the school receives federal funding for low-income students would need to confirm that directly.

For families considering the Daphne area, housing values are above the national median and have been roughly steady, with rents rising modestly. The typical home in the area is priced well above the state median, reflecting the desirability of the Eastern Shore market. The mix of suburban development and bayfront access means commute patterns vary, with many residents likely traveling west to Mobile for work.

The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary shifts, new program launches, or leadership turnover, so the operational context appears stable for now. A parent moving to the area should expect a straightforward intermediate school with a clear strength in literacy, math results that bear closer attention, and a student population that reflects the broader economic mix of a rapidly growing suburb.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 46% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 41% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 44% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 68% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 74% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 70% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolBaldwin County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income66%Higher-income91%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income70%Higher-income80%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income66%Higher-income80%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income63%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income47%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income55%22 pp gap