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Schools in Cleveland, MS

New rankings! Mississippi test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings TODAY.

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At a glance

Schools

3,020

Students

Top rankedParks Elementary School271^st of 377 Mississippi elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Parks Elementary School up 55 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Presbyterian Day School 11.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

1★

0★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (private or too few tested students)

Compare Mississippi cities →See the top-ranked Mississippi schools →

Summary:

Cleveland, Mississippi is served by the Cleveland School District, which operates 6 public schools — four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school — serving roughly 2,162 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district ranks in the 34th percentile statewide, and nearly every student (99.5% or more at each campus) qualifies for free or reduced lunch, reflecting the concentrated poverty that shapes this community. However, the schools differ significantly in performance and trajectory.

Among the elementaries, Parks Elementary School is the top-ranked campus in 2025-26 (28th percentile), with 6th grade math and ELA scores slightly above state averages. D.M. Smith Elementary is the most improved, climbing from the 8th to the 24th percentile over three years; it also has the district’s lowest student-teacher ratio (12.7), low chronic absenteeism (14.6%), and 5th grade science proficiency near the state average. At the other end, Pearman Elementary School ranks in the 1st percentile — among the lowest in the state — despite having the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (13.0%), showing that attendance alone doesn’t drive outcomes. Nailor Elementary School serves only PK-2 and has no test-based ranking yet.

The most urgent concerns center on Cleveland Central High School, whose 2025-26 rank fell to the 9th percentile, with a 78.2% graduation rate, 38.7% chronic absenteeism, and end-of-course proficiency rates far below state averages. Cleveland Central Middle School shows a striking 8th grade math collapse (22.1% proficiency vs. 52.8% in 7th grade), even as 7th grade math remains respectable. Bright spots exist: several elementaries post strong 6th grade math results (Parks at 54.2%, D.M. Smith at 55.3%) and D.M. Smith’s science program shows untapped potential. For parents, the district’s biggest opportunities lie in improving high school attendance, addressing the 8th grade math transition, and replicating the instructional strategies behind the successful elementary outcomes.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)						MAAP Mathematics (2026)						MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Science (2026)		MAAP Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Cleveland Vocational Technical Complex	Public	8-12	601 Third Street	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 843-8818	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Nailor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	600 Cross Street	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-4528	256	14	18.7	100.0%	2 (0.8%)	245 (95.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)								(n/a)																		$12,045
Parks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1301 Terrace Road	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-3166	265	17	16.0	100.0%	94 (35.5%)	120 (45.3%)	19 (7.2%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.3%)	31.1	271^st of 377 public elementary schools	28.1%		21.1	326^th of 383 public elementary schools	14.9%	55	40.0	48.3	44.1	54.2			28.6	37.9	14.7	54.2					47.1			$13,034
Pearman Elementary School	Public	1-6	306 Merritt Drive	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-4484	186	12	15.7	100.0%	16 (8.6%)	141 (75.8%)	19 (10.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.8%)	5.5	375^th of 377 public elementary schools	0.5%		10.1	360^th of 383 public elementary schools	6.0%	15	26.6	21.4	28.0	14.7			10.0	21.4	16.3	20.5					34.9			$13,390
Alternative School	Public	5-12	601 Third Street	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 846-6478	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cleveland Central Middle School	Public	7-8	601 Lucy Seabery Dr	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-2338	423	26	16.5	99.5%	67 (15.8%)	319 (75.4%)	19 (4.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.5%)	28.3	199^th of 260 public middle schools	23.5%		24.6	208^th of 266 public middle schools	21.8%	9					26.8	25.5					52.8	22.1				48.6		$12,526
D.M. Smith Elementary	Public	3-6	715 Martin Luther King Dr	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-4355	233	18	12.7	99.6%	1 (0.4%)	218 (93.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.2%)	28.2	288^th of 377 public elementary schools	23.6%		24.9	301^st of 383 public elementary schools	21.4%	13	12.9	33.8	46.6	38.3			23.0	38.3	29.3	55.3					70.7			$13,039
Cleveland Central High School	Public	9-12	300 W. Sunflower St	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 843-2460	799	45	17.7	99.9%	85 (10.6%)	574 (71.8%)	36 (4.5%)	9 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	94 (11.8%)	13.2	203^rd of 224 public high schools	9.4%		25.8	166^th of 232 public high schools	28.4%	37													30.8	33.5			43.2	$14,369
Bayou Academy	Private, Christian (no specific denomination)	PK, KG-12	1291 Crosby Rd	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County		(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(662) 843-3708	621	48	11.9		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Presbyterian Day School	Private, Christian (no specific denomination)	PK, KG-6	1100 W Hwy 8	Cleveland	38732	Bolivar County		(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(662) 843-8688	237	13	11.2		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Cleveland

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Boyle	2.62 mi	1	43^rd
Merigold	7.33 mi	1	50^th
Shaw	9.32 mi	2	174^th
Mound Bayou	9.58 mi	1	115^th
Ruleville	10.23 mi	3	167^th

See the top MS Mississippi cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.