ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Orange Beach City Schools released its annual State of Education report for the 2025-2026 school year, highlighting gains across academics, athletics, the arts and school safety. Superintendent Randy Wilkes cautioned that much of the locally compiled data remains preliminary and is embargoed ahead of official state accountability reporting later this fall.
Elementary Milestones
Orange Beach Elementary School earned a state report card score of 99, placing it among Alabama’s top 25 public schools out of roughly 1,400 statewide. To recognize students’ dedication during testing season, the school hosted an academic pep rally immediately following spring ACAP testing.
Combined English language arts proficiency for grades two through six rose from 76% to 92% over time, while math proficiency climbed from 66% to 85%. Fourth-grade science proficiency reached 96.43% — the highest mark in the district — while sixth-grade science reached 74.07%, up roughly 10 points from the prior year. Officials credited the elementary gains to a departmentalized teaching model, math labs for grades four through six, and a structured writing program, with Superintendent Wilkes specifically pointing to the hands-on Sea Stars environmental program, in which students study local wildlife and bay habitats, as a major driver of engagement behind the strong fourth-grade science results.
Supported by grant funding, the district’s prekindergarten program will expand to three fully funded classrooms for the coming school year. District officials said kindergarten registration feedback indicated incoming pre-K students demonstrated strong foundational skills, including readiness for name writing. Average daily attendance across the K-12 system reached at least 95%, with some grade levels at 97%, while chronic absenteeism at the elementary level dropped to 4.01%, representing about 22 students.
Middle and High School Progress
At the secondary level, the Class of 2026 achieved a 100% state-recognized graduation rate and a 99% federal graduation rate, along with a 100% College and Career Readiness credentialing rate. Principal Chris Shaw described the 2025-2026 school year as record-breaking and credited teachers and staff for the results.
Junior ACT scores rose for a third consecutive year, capped by a 1.1-point gain on the spring assessment. The Class of 2027 junior cohort increased its average composite score from 18.7 in fall 2023 to 20.6 in spring 2026, and more than 10 juniors — roughly 10% of the tested class — scored 30 or higher.
Advanced Placement participation continued to grow, with 191 students taking 519 AP exams during the year, helping the school move its AP standing from bronze to silver. The number of students taking AP exams has tripled in recent years, and the number earning qualifying scores of 3 or higher has nearly quintupled. Dual enrollment participation also expanded, with students completing 636 credit hours in the fall and 602 in the spring.
In middle school, preliminary English language arts proficiency reached 77.67% in seventh grade and 82.24% in eighth grade. Seventh-grade math proficiency fell to 30%, a drop Superintendent Wilkes publicly addressed, taking administrative responsibility and telling parents the results required institutional correction. The district said it is deploying targeted intervention schedules and bringing in retired veteran educators to serve as math coaches in seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms to close the gap.
Athletics, Arts and Safety
The athletic department, led by Athletic Director Shane Alexander, posted strong results across multiple sports. Orange Beach High School, which serves roughly 650 students in grades seven through 12, won seven of nine possible area championships, secured sectional titles in girls’ soccer and softball, and captured state titles in cheer and softball.
The softball program, led by head coach Chris Leonardi, earned the No. 1 national ranking among small-town high schools, a No. 2 ranking in the national coaches’ poll, and a No. 5 overall national ranking. Leonardi was named Coach of the Year, and the team produced 23 4A All-State players, three national All-Americans, a Player of the Year and a Pitcher of the Year. The girls’ soccer program reached the final four.
In the fine arts, the marching band grew from 20 to between 50 and 80 participants and hosted its inaugural Sounds of the Island band festival, filling one side of the stadium with plans to expand attendance in year two. The festival featured Troy University’s Sound of the South band. Band members continue fundraising through the Shark Shack concession stand for a planned 2027 trip to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the wind ensemble earned superior ratings at Music Performance Assessments.
The middle and high school campus received the Attorney General’s School Safety Award for the second consecutive year, with district safety upgrades including improved vestibules, enhanced surveillance access and portable scanning units for stadium and gymnasium events.
Financial Health and Strategic Goals
The district’s MAC community sponsorship program raised more than $1 million from over 150 donors in its first year, supporting academics, arts and athletics across all grade levels. The upcoming campaign, themed “All Aboard,” aims to match or exceed last year’s fundraising total.
Chief School Financial Officer Matt Gray reported that operating reserves rose from just over two months in 2023 to more than eight months as of March 2026, totaling more than $16 million. The district operates on an annual budget of about $27 million, with roughly 84% of operating revenues coming from local sources.
Strategic priorities for the coming period include improving middle school math performance, establishing a new strategic plan centered on a “Graduate by Design” framework, and aligning internal academic benchmarks with national standards. Superintendent Wilkes noted that while state guidelines recommend a 12-month operating reserve, the district aims to build an 18-month reserve cushion to ensure long-term stability in the face of potential hurricane disruptions.