The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in English language arts. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Clarkshaw Magnet School
ClarkShaw Magnet School serves grades five through eight in Mobile, Alabama, as part of the Mobile County Public School System. It is a regular public school that operates as a magnet program, drawing students from across the district who meet its admissions criteria. The school’s enrollment is moderate for its middle-grade span, and the student body reflects the broader demographics of Mobile County: a majority of students are Black, with a substantial share of white students and smaller Asian and Hispanic populations. Just over half of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that suggests a degree of economic diversity.
Academically, ClarkShaw stands out as a strong performer relative to other schools in Mobile County. State assessment results show that in both English language arts and science, a large majority of students meet proficiency benchmarks across grades six through eight. This level of achievement places the school comfortably above the district average and into a top-tier position among its county peers. Math proficiency, while lower than ELA and science, still exceeds the typical performance seen across Mobile County schools, especially at the sixth-grade level, where about three in five students are proficient. Proficiency declines somewhat in seventh and eighth grade math, a pattern that is not uncommon among middle schools but one a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand how math instruction and support progress through the grades.
Because ClarkShaw serves only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school has single-year test data available for the most recent assessment, so multi-year trends cannot yet be evaluated. Parents looking for year-over-year growth patterns will need to wait for additional years of data to see how the school sustains or builds on its current results.
ClarkShaw is located in Mobile on Arlberg Street, a road in the western part of the city near the University of South Alabama campus. Mobile itself is a mid-sized port city with an industrial and commercial economy anchored by the port, aerospace manufacturing, and shipbuilding. The city has a historic downtown core with cultural institutions, but most residential areas, including the western neighborhoods where ClarkShaw sits, are car-dependent suburban-style developments. The 2023 west annexation expanded Mobile’s footprint and diversified its population, but the overall pattern is a spread-out city where schools are distributed across a large geographic area rather than concentrated downtown.
No publicly reported recent changes or strategic initiatives were identified for the Mobile County district that would directly affect the school experience at ClarkShaw. The district brief turned up little of lasting impact, so this narrative cannot speak to district-level shifts in curriculum, funding, or zoning.
For a family considering ClarkShaw, the school presents a strong academic profile within Mobile County, particularly in ELA and science. The math results, while solid for the district, show some dip in the upper grades, which may warrant a conversation about math acceleration or intervention options. The magnet structure means admission is not automatic by neighborhood alone, and families should confirm the application process with the district. The school’s setting in the western part of Mobile means that families who live east of the city or in outlying areas should factor commute times into their decision. Housing in the school’s ZIP code is near the national median home value, with rents and mortgage costs that are manageable compared to the national average, making this part of Mobile an accessible market for many households.
Overall, ClarkShaw Magnet School offers a middle school environment that exceeds typical county performance in core subjects, with the caveat that math proficiency could be stronger in the higher grades. It fits a family that wants a selective-admissions magnet program with above-average academic outcomes, who is comfortable with the car-dependent geography of west Mobile, and who is willing to seek out information on how the school addresses the math drop-off from sixth to eighth grade.
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