Calcedeaver Elementary School, Mount Vernon AL

Original Research by School Decision on Calcedeaver Elementary School

Calcedear Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Mount Vernon, a small, historically rooted town in Mobile County. The school is part of the Mobile County school system and draws its student body from a rural, low-density area along Highway 43. The community has experienced significant institutional losses in recent years: the town’s only public school was closed several years ago after enrollment declined sharply, and a long-standing state psychiatric hospital, once a major local employer, also closed. Against that backdrop, Calcedear Elementary operates as one of the district’s schools, with an enrollment that is small for a PK-6 campus.

The student population is notably diverse in ways that reflect the region’s Native American heritage. A large share of the students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a substantial portion identify as two or more races; white students and Hispanic students make up smaller groups. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals is high, indicating a student body that faces significant economic challenges. This is consistent with the area’s housing market, where home values are far below state and national averages and the community’s median household income is modest.

Academically, Calcedear’s state assessment results from the most recent testing year present a mixed picture. Performance in English language arts is a clear strength: across the tested grades, a solid majority of students met proficiency standards, with some grades reaching particularly high rates. Mathematics proficiency is more uneven. In the earliest tested grade, roughly half of students were proficient, but that share declined substantially in later grades, with a smaller fraction proficient by sixth grade. Science results, available for only one grade, also show a lower proficiency rate. When the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is compared to other districts in Mobile County, it sits above the midpoint, meaning it performs better than many of its county peers in aggregate. Still, the drop-off in math by upper elementary grades is a pattern a parent may want to ask the school about directly.

No disciplinary data, chronic absenteeism rates, or program offerings were available in the records reviewed. Because Calcedear serves only elementary and middle grades, it has no graduation rate to report. No recent district-level changes or initiatives were identified from public sources.

For a family considering this school, the central question is fit. Calcedear offers a small environment with English language arts results that compare favorably within the county, and it serves a community where housing costs are low and the pace of life is rural. The math and science numbers suggest room for growth, and the high poverty rate means the school likely serves many students with additional needs. A parent exploring this option would want to learn more about how the school addresses math instruction in the upper grades and what supports are available for students who are behind.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 37% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 37% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 57% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 54% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 63% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 49% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Science

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 38% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

This schoolMobile 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

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income100%58 pp gap