Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Shelby County

This page covers 15 elementary schools in Shelby County. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

15
Schools Ranked
Alabama
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 15
1
rank
Forest Oaks Elementary School
Grades KG–05683 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
51
/100
Student:Teacher
17.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
2
rank
Oak Mountain Intermediate School
Grades 04–05619 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
16.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
3
rank
Helena Elementary School
Grades KG–02868 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
18.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
30%
Low economic need
4
rank
Chelsea Park Elementary School
Grades PK–05867 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
19.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
31%
Low economic need
5
rank
Mt Laurel Elementary School
Grades KG–05514 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
47
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
17%
Low economic need
6
rank
Oak Mountain Elementary School
Grades PK–03713 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
47
/100
Student:Teacher
18.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
23%
Low economic need
7
rank
Wilsonville Elementary School
Grades PK–05213 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
15.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
56%
Near nat'l 52.2%
8
rank
Inverness Elementary School
Grades PK–03582 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
18.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
29%
Low economic need
9
rank
Helena Intermediate School
Grades 03–05945 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
45
/100
Student:Teacher
21.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
29%
Low economic need
10
rank
Shelby Elementary School
Grades PK–05209 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
43
/100
Student:Teacher
16.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,606
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
61%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5 more elementary schools in Shelby County not shown here.
View all schools in Shelby County
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
15
Elementary Schools
31
Total Schools
51
#1 Score
45
Avg Score
StateAlabama →
District profileShelby County →
Top Ranked Elementary School
Other School Levels
Compare Shelby County with neighbouring districts
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.