Best Public Schools in Byram, MS

Byram, Mississippi is served by two public schools — Gary Road Elementary (grades PK–2) and Gary Road Intermediate (grades 3–5) — which together form a complete elementary pathway for the city's roughly 1,400 students within the Hinds County School District, a district rated 2 stars and ranked 93rd out of 134 districts in Mississippi.

Gary Road Intermediate is the clear academic standout, simply because it is the only school in Byram with testing and ranking data. It ranks in the 45th percentile statewide and outperforms its district in every subject and grade level tested. Its greatest strength is 5th-grade science, where 68.4% of students scored proficient in 2025–26, above the district's 65.5%. Third-grade math is another bright spot, improving 5.2 points to 56.5% proficiency, which exceeds the state average. However, upper-elementary math is a concern — 5th-grade math dropped 10.5 points to 40.5%, well below the state average. By comparison, Gary Road Elementary has no test data available, so its academic performance cannot be directly measured. It does, however, serve a somewhat less economically disadvantaged population (68.1% free/reduced lunch vs. 79.3% at the intermediate school) and maintains a lower student–teacher ratio advantage is reversed, with the elementary school at 17.6:1 versus a favorable 14.4:1 at the intermediate level.

The strongest shared story in Byram is attendance. Both schools have chronic absenteeism rates far below district and state averages — 16.9% at Gary Road Elementary and just 10.8% at Gary Road Intermediate, compared to 23.5% districtwide and 23.9% statewide. These schools effectively serve as the entire educational foundation for Byram, since older students must leave the city for middle and high school. Despite high poverty rates, the intermediate school proves that strong attendance and instruction can overcome economic disadvantage, making its recent math declines worth watching while its science results and attendance remain genuine bright spots.