Best Public Schools in Ellisville, MS

Ellisville, Mississippi, is served by the Jones County School District and contains two public schools—South Jones High School (grades 7–12, 1,300 students) and South Jones Elementary School (grades PK–6, 1,129 students)—covering the full PK–12 spectrum in this small Mississippi city.

Both schools earned 4-star ratings and serve similar socioeconomic populations (roughly 62–64% free/reduced lunch), but each has distinct strengths. South Jones Elementary School stands out for exceptional math proficiency: 69.3% of 6th graders scored proficient in math versus 52.7% statewide, and 4th and 5th grade math also outpaced the state by 9 and 8 points. The elementary school has also improved its state ranking from the 66th to the 70th percentile over two years, moving from a 3-star to a 4-star rating. South Jones High School excels in biology (79.8% proficient vs. 63.1% statewide) and Algebra I (71.1% vs. 66.0%), and its 92.5% graduation rate exceeds both the district and state averages. With a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio, the high school offers relatively small class sizes.

The most striking difference between the two schools is attendance. The elementary school's chronic absenteeism rate is 19.9%, better than the district (23.1%) and state (23.9%), while the high school's rate is 29.4%—nearly 1 in 3 students missing significant school time. This gap exists despite nearly identical poverty levels, suggesting school culture or engagement plays a role. The high school also lags in 8th-grade science (42.8% vs. 57.8% statewide) and shows modest literacy gains—English II proficiency (52.5%) beats the state (49.3%) but trails its own math success. Since 7th and 8th graders attend the high school, those middle-grades science and ELA gaps deserve attention. Parents should know the elementary school is trending upward with strong math instruction, while the high school delivers solid STEM outcomes and graduation support but would benefit from improved attendance and stronger middle-grades science and literacy efforts.