Orchard Elementary, 6400 Howells Ferry Road: grades pre-K to 5, 567 students on the 2024-25 state report card, graded C with 79 points.

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, its principal page, Mobile County Public Schools’ 2026-27 calendar, enrollment, school zone and transportation contact pages and its SchoolSearch zone tool, the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card for 2024-25 and 2023-24 and the federal NCES school directory for 2023-24.

Orchard Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade at 6400 Howells Ferry Road, Mobile, as one of Mobile County Public Schools’ elementary schools. Alabama graded it a C, with 79 points, on its 2024-25 report card.

Who to call
Address 6400 Howells Ferry Road, Mobile, AL 36618
Phone 251-221-1571
Grades Pre-K to 5
District Mobile County Public Schools
Zoned onward to Scarborough Model Middle, then Blount High, Mary G. Montgomery High or Baker High, depending on the address
State school code 049-0570

Principal

Principal Beanner Powe, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: 567 students on the 2024-25 Alabama state report card.
  • Federal count: 585 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 22 students per teacher.

State report card

Alabama grades every public school from A to F each year. The grade comes from a 100-point score built from students’ achievement and growth on state tests in English language arts and math, chronic absenteeism (the share of students who missed 18 or more days), progress in English language proficiency and, for high schools, graduation rate and college and career readiness, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card rules.

2024-25 grade: C, 79 points. That compares with a C and 73 points on the 2023-24 card. Mobile County Public Schools as a whole earned a B, with 83 points. The state lists Orchard Elementary as a Targeted Support and Improvement School on the 2024-25 card.

Indicator 2024-25 score
Academic achievement (ELA and math tests) 52.63
Academic growth 100
Chronic absenteeism (lower is better) 13.41% of students

Orchard Elementary’s full report card, with results by student group, teachers and spending, is on the state’s report card site.

Attendance zone

Check an address with the district’s SchoolSearch tool or InfoFinder, both linked from its school zone page. The district says to confirm with the school before buying supplies, and that students in magnet schools, special programs and transfers may attend a different school than the one their address is zoned for. Zones do not follow the city limits.

In SchoolSearch, Mobile addresses zoned for Orchard Elementary go on to Scarborough Model Middle for middle school. For high school, they are zoned for Blount High, Mary G. Montgomery High or Baker High, depending on the address. We checked 3,000 addresses inside the City of Mobile in the tool on Oct. 17, 2026; zones can split streets, so check your own address.

Calendar and bell times

Orchard Elementary follows the Mobile County Public Schools 2026-27 calendar, approved by the board on Feb. 25, 2026. Coming dates:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: virtual learning day (Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Friday, Dec. 18: second quarter ends
  • Dec. 21-31: Christmas break; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • Monday, Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no school
  • Feb. 8-12: Mardi Gras break
  • March 29 to April 2: spring break
  • Wednesday, May 26: last day for students

School hours: 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., according to the district’s SchoolSearch listing for Orchard Elementary.

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does Orchard Elementary serve?

Orchard Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade, according to the Alabama State Department of Education’s 2024-25 report card.

What is Orchard Elementary’s state report card grade?

Orchard Elementary earned a C, with 79 points, on Alabama’s 2024-25 state report card, up from 73 points on the 2023-24 card.

Which middle and high school does Orchard Elementary feed into?

In the district’s SchoolSearch zone tool, Mobile addresses zoned for Orchard Elementary go on to Scarborough Model Middle for middle school and Blount High, Mary G. Montgomery High or Baker High for high school, depending on the address.

What time does Orchard Elementary start?

The district’s SchoolSearch listing gives Orchard Elementary’s hours as 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.