Summary:
Fulton, Mississippi is home to two elementary-level schools within the Itawamba County district: Itawamba Attendance Center (PK–8, 1,129 students) and Dorsey Attendance Center (PK–6, 233 students), with the district ranking 43rd out of 134 districts in Mississippi.
Itawamba Attendance Center is the clear academic leader in Fulton. It has earned a 4-star rating every year and ranked 108th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools (71st percentile) for 2025–2026. Its math program is particularly strong, with 3rd grade math proficiency at 73.4% and 6th grade math at 75.2%, both well above state averages of 48.8% and 52.7%, respectively. In grades 3–6 combined, Itawamba averages about 16 points above both district and state in math, and its 8th grade science proficiency (70.3%) also tops the state (57.8%). However, a middle-grade ELA dip is noticeable: 7th grade ELA proficiency drops to 36.6%, down from 56.3% in 6th grade. State rank has trended downward from the 83rd percentile (2023–2024) to the 71st percentile (2025–2026), though the school remains well above average overall, and this is despite 67.67% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.
Dorsey Attendance Center struggles in reading and math, ranking 273rd out of 377 (28th percentile, 1 star) and running about 19 points behind Itawamba in ELA and 32 points behind in math for grades 3–6. Yet Dorsey has notable strengths: 5th grade science proficiency reached 75.8% in 2025–2026—higher than Itawamba's 66.1% and the state's 71.5%. Dorsey also boasts a lower chronic absenteeism rate (14.8% vs. 16.3% at Itawamba and 23.9% statewide) and a much smaller student-teacher ratio (11.0:1 vs. 15.7:1), despite having 82% of students on free/reduced lunch. Both schools are trending downward in state rank, and the academic gap between them bears watching, but Dorsey shows that bright spots in science and attendance exist even amid broader challenges.
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