Photo: Please attribute this image as the work of "DiscoverWithDima." · CC BY-SA 4.0Gulf Shores’s public schools outscore 91% of Alabama districts
42% of students in Gulf Shores’s public schools are proficient in math, above the Alabama average (27%). The grade covers the public school district serving Gulf Shores, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Alabama, not nationally.
From Alabama state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Gulf Shores’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 188 Alabama towns with household incomes within a quarter of Gulf Shores’s, its schools beat 97%, higher than their 91% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 64% and math 42% in spring 2022, against 47% and 27% statewide; 95–100% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 90%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $13,489 per student, against $13,926 across Alabama (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then one middle and one high school
From grade 6 the district’s path is Gulf Shores Middle School, then Gulf Shores High School. Enrollment is up 23% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
South Baldwin Christian Academy (private) is in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Gulf Shores’s grade
A: better than 91% of Alabama school districts, #12 of 187 Alabama towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Alabama average; graduation is the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Gulf Shores, with each school’s own grade.
Pre-K in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Kindergarten in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Elementary School
Grades PK–5 · 1,230 students · 18:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 591 students · 19:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 591 students · 19:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 591 students · 19:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores High School
Grades 9–12 · 927 students · 15:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores High School
Grades 9–12 · 927 students · 15:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores High School
Grades 9–12 · 927 students · 15:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Gulf Shores
Gulf Shores High School
Grades 9–12 · 927 students · 15:1 students per teacher
Gulf Shores’s public schools are run by Gulf Shores City School District. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Gulf Shores vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Alabama towns that share Gulf Shores’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores | A | Gulf Shores City |
| Orange Beach | A | Orange Beach City |
| Foley | B+ | Baldwin County |
Every school in Gulf Shores
4 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Alabama’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Gulf Shores’s schools
Are Gulf Shores’s schools good?
By Alabama’s own tests, yes: the public schools Gulf Shores children attend outscore 91% of Alabama’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade, #12 of 187 Alabama towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 97%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Gulf Shores in?
Gulf Shores City School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,748 students in 3 schools (2024–25).
Where do Gulf Shores kids go to high school?
Gulf Shores High School, with 927 students; its own test results earn an A−.
What is Gulf Shores’s graduation rate?
95–100% of the class of 2023 in Gulf Shores City School District graduated in four years, against 90% across Alabama.
How much does Gulf Shores spend per student?
$13,489 in Gulf Shores City School District (FY2024), against $13,926 across Alabama. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Gulf Shores?
Yes: South Baldwin Christian Academy (religious, grades PK–12, 187 students).
Parents talk
What Gulf Shores families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Gulf Shores → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Alabama. Stars are from neighbors.