Gulf Shores Elementary School is a community whose members are always learning, growing and leaders of their own learning. We set high standards for ourselves and challenge each other to achieve our best. We believe in working hard at everything we do, sharing our knowledge and skills for our own and the community’s good. We are a caring community where everyone is treated with fairness, kindness, and respect. Each member of our community is valued for his or her own unique abilities, efforts, and contributions. We recognize that learning involves struggle and taking risks, and we support and encourage each other’s progress. We envision Gulf Shores Elementary School as a community that produces joyful, independent and life-long learners; and adaptable, productive compassionate human beings.

At GSES we are focused on raising more than hands. What we provide more than anything else is an environment where each child is known, understood, and loved as both a student and as an intellect. Here, teachers focus on how to uplift each student so that they can become more confident and curious learners.

Gulf Shores Elementary School is guided by the belief that a good school nurtures a child's intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth. We engage children in learning experiences that are relevant, purposeful, challenging, and hands on. We respect children's developmental needs, interests, learning styles and differences as they strive to master content knowledge and skills. With a strong foundation of learning in place, students are challenged to form new understandings and to create new meaning. Individualized yet highly structured instruction in reading and writing workshops; a focus on understanding, problem solving, and computational fluency in mathematics; proactive early screening, and enrichment and intervention programs.