Enrollment
396
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mobile, AL
The Pathway
Federal NCES profile for The Pathway, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010237001038
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
The Pathway earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Alabama schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Mobile · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- small classes for Alabama
- 86.6%
- free-lunch eligible
The Pathway has class sizes smaller than 95% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, The Pathway ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Mobile, AL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Pathway compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at The Pathway
The Pathway is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mobile, Alabama, enrolling 396 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.8:1, The Pathway is leaner than roughly 95% of Alabama schools and 28% under the state's 17.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 86.6% of students qualify for free meals, 47% above the Alabama average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 396 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 214 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #109.
Its student body is led by African American (74%) and White (18%) (diversity index 41/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 198 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Mobile's elementary schools, it stands alongside Clarkshaw Magnet School (582 students): The Pathway is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.8:1 vs 16.6:1).
Mobile County also operates Baker High School (2,271 students) and Mary G Montgomery High School (1,888 students) alongside The Pathway.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How The Pathway compares
The Pathway on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 28% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 47% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 28% below state mean
Top 5% in Alabama - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
51.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,163
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 198 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 74.2%
White 18.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 74.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.3, The Pathway is about as mixed as the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mobile County, which includes The Pathway.
$12,163
Per student
-3%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 49.5%
Federal 24.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How The Pathway Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mary G Montgomery High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Alma Bryant High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wp Davidson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bernice J Causey Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to The Pathway's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,271
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,888
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,624
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 1,339
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar elementary schools in Mobile
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on The Pathway's federal record.
- Compare The Pathway against another school. Compare schools
- Mobile County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about The Pathway
How many students attend The Pathway?
The Pathway has 396 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mobile, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Pathway?
The student-teacher ratio at The Pathway is 12.8:1, which is 28% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Pathway?
86.6% of students at The Pathway are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Pathway?
The largest demographic group at The Pathway is African American at 74.2% of enrollment, in Mobile, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Pathway?
The Pathway has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does The Pathway rank among elementary schools in Mobile?
By Resource Investment Index, The Pathway ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Mobile, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Mobile on the city page.
Is The Pathway a good school?
The Pathway earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Alabama schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Mobile County?
Besides The Pathway, Mobile County also operates Baker High School (2,271 students), Mary G Montgomery High School (1,888 students), and Alma Bryant High School (1,624 students). See the Mobile County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.