Perdido Elementary School, Perdido AL

Original Research by School Decision on Perdido Elementary School

Perdido Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the unincorporated community of Perdido, Alabama. It is a regular public school within the Baldwin County school system. The school itself operates as a central fixture in this rural area, where the post office and the school are the main local landmarks along County Route 61. The community is small and sparsely populated, lacking a walkable downtown; residents typically commute by car. Growth has been slow.

The student body is modest in size for a PK‑8 school, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across grades. Racially, the student population is predominantly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced‑price meals, reflecting the economic context of the surrounding area. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records we reviewed.

On state assessments administered in the 2024‑25 school year, Perdido Elementary’s results show a clear split between English language arts and mathematics. In ELA, a majority of students in every tested grade scored at the proficient level, with the strongest showing in fourth grade and a slight dip in fifth grade before recovering. The school’s overall ELA proficiency rate, across all tested grades, was comfortably above half. In math, the picture is softer. Proficiency rates declined steadily from third grade through eighth grade, with the lowest results in the upper grades. The overall math proficiency rate was just above a third. Science was tested in fourth and eighth grades; fourth graders performed well, with a solid majority reaching proficiency, while eighth graders scored noticeably lower, around a third proficient. Parents may want to ask the school about support for upper‑grade math and science instruction.

Because Perdido Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was also absent from the available records.

When compared with other districts in Baldwin County, Perdido Elementary’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed it in the bottom quartile of the three districts in the county. That comparison covers the school’s performance against district-level averages, and it should be interpreted with the understanding that the school itself is part of one of those districts, not a separate district. The gap between the school’s proficiency scores and those of higher‑performing districts in the county is notable.

No recent district‑level changes that would directly affect families at Perdido were found in a search of publicly reported information.

For a family considering this school, the main takeaway is that Perdido Elementary offers a consistent, small‑town educational setting through middle school, with stronger literacy results than math and science, especially in the later grades. The rural character of Perdido means limited local amenities and a long commute to larger towns for shopping or employment. The housing market in the area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, but the trade‑off is that there is little in the way of a walkable center or after‑school options within the community itself.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 49% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 41% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 44% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 37% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 72% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 68% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 74% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 70% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 66% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 63% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 53% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 56% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below 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.