The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pearl Haskew Elementary
Pearl Haskew Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the unincorporated community of Irvington, Alabama, roughly south of Mobile along the I-10 corridor. The school is part of the Mobile County district, and its setting is distinctly rural: wide-open spaces, farmland, and plant nurseries, with homes sitting on large lots and a car-dependent layout. There is no traditional downtown, and recreational anchors like Zirlott Park and the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area offer outdoor access nearby. The area has an affordable housing market relative to state and national benchmarks, and the local economy appears tied to agriculture, small tourism, and businesses clustered along U.S. Route 90.
The school enrolls a few hundred students. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small number of Asian and Native American students. Roughly two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community's income profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the reporting.
On state assessments from the Alabama ACAP in the 2024–25 school year, Pearl Haskew’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint relative to other school districts in Mobile County. That overall picture, however, masks notable differences by subject and grade level. In English language arts, proficiency rates rise steadily from third grade through fifth grade, reaching a strong level by fifth grade. Mathematics tells a more uneven story: third- and fourth-grade proficiency rates are considerably lower, while fifth-grade math proficiency is markedly higher and comparable to the school’s stronger ELA results. Science, tested only in fourth grade, falls roughly in the middle of the school’s performance band. Because only one year of data is available, there is no basis for assessing trends.
What these results suggest is a school where many students are meeting or exceeding expectations in reading and writing, particularly by the upper elementary years, but where early and middle elementary math is an area of concern. Families moving into the area with children entering third or fourth grade may want to ask the school about math intervention and support strategies. The fifth-grade math outcome hints that something may be working well in the upper grades, but without longitudinal data it is hard to say whether that reflects a cohort effect or a genuine instructional lift.
No information was reported on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access, nor on special education or English learner populations. These gaps mean a parent cannot fully evaluate the school’s climate or support systems from this data alone and may want to contact the school directly.
Housing in the Irvington area is priced below both the state and national averages, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests reasonable affordability for the region. The community has a rural, spread-out feel with no walkable core, and most errands require a car. For families who value space, a slower pace, and a school where overall academic performance is in the middle to upper part of the county range, Pearl Haskew Elementary offers a familiar public elementary option. The math results in the middle grades are the softest spot in an otherwise mixed profile, and that is the area a prospective parent would want to explore further.
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