The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dr Robert W Gilliard Elementary
Dr Robert W Gilliard Elementary sits south of downtown Mobile, a short way off Dauphin Island Parkway, in a part of the city shaped by the working waterfront and industrial economy of Alabama’s only deep-water port. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is a regular public school within the Mobile County system.
The student body is large for an elementary school, drawing from a neighborhood where the housing stock is more affordable than much of the city. Home prices in the immediate area are well below the Mobile metro typical level, and rents reflect a similar pattern. That affordability comes with trade-offs: a very high share of students live in households eligible for free or reduced-price meals, a rate that signals concentrated economic need. Racially, the student population is majority Black, with a modest share of Hispanic students, a similar share of white students, and a smaller share of multiracial students; Asian and Native American students each represent a very small presence. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available from the source used here, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state assessments from the 2024-25 school year, the school’s results sit above the midpoint among elementary schools in Mobile County when all tested subjects and grades are averaged together. That overall position, however, masks subject-level differences. In English language arts, proficiency rises across the tested grades: third graders reach the halfway mark, fourth graders clear that threshold, and fifth graders post a higher rate still. Math performance is lower. In third, fourth, and fifth grades, fewer than half of students met the proficiency bar. Science is tested only in fourth grade, and the proficiency rate there is the school’s weakest score, in the range that typically prompts a close look. Because only one year of assessment data was available, it is not possible to say whether these results represent a change from prior years.
The school does not have a program catalog listed in the available data, so specialized offerings such as magnet themes, gifted education, or after-school enrichment are not described here. For a public elementary school in a district that operates many choice programs, the absence of that information does not mean nothing is available; it means a family should call the school or visit its website directly.
The surrounding city of Mobile has a distinctive character for the Gulf Coast. Its Mardi Gras tradition is the oldest in the country. A walkable entertainment district runs along Dauphin Street downtown, and Bienville Square provides a historic public gathering space. Much of the city outside that core is car-dependent suburban-style development. Major employers include the Port of Mobile, Airbus, Austal USA, and a large healthcare sector. The city’s 2023 west annexation significantly expanded its population and made it a majority-minority city. For a family considering this school, Mobile’s economic anchors are durable, but the public school system is countywide and heavily decentralized; Gilliard Elementary draws from a specific pocket of the city where the housing market is accessible and the student body reflects the demographics and economic realities of that pocket.
The school is a regular elementary without charter status or a reported magnet designation. It does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies. For a parent weighing academic fit, the English language arts results offer a relative bright spot, while math and science scores are areas where a family would want to understand what support the school provides before enrolling. The high rate of economic disadvantage means the school likely has access to federal Title I resources, though that status was not confirmed in the data.
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