Summary:
Gautier, Mississippi is home to six schools in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District—three elementary schools (Martin Bluff, Gautier Elementary, College Park Elementary), two middle schools (Singing River for grades 5–6 and Gautier Middle for grades 7–8), and Gautier High for grades 9–12—serving a total of 2,842 students in a district that ranks 35th out of 134 districts statewide with a 4-star rating.
For parents, the standout schools are clear. Gautier Elementary is the city's top-ranked elementary school (94th of 377, 75th percentile) and achieves this despite having the highest poverty rate among reported schools (81.6% free/reduced lunch). Its 3rd-grade math (60.3% proficient) and 4th-grade ELA (62.9%) both beat district and state averages. Singing River is a middle-school bright spot, with 6th-grade math proficiency (66.0%) far exceeding the state (52.7%). College Park Elementary is the most improved school, jumping from the 32nd to 59th percentile in one year, and posted the highest 4th-grade ELA score in the city (65.3% vs. 52.4% state). Gautier High graduates 91.2% of students and excels in Biology (71.4% proficient vs. 63.1% state).
However, challenges remain. All five reported schools have poverty rates above 70%, and chronic absenteeism ranges from an excellent 12.0% at Martin Bluff to a concerning 28.3% at Gautier Middle. Middle school is the weakest transition point, with Gautier Middle's 8th-grade ELA (37.1%) and math (47.1%) below state averages, and Singing River's 5th-grade math (42.4%) lagging the state (49.6%). College Park Elementary struggles in 3rd-grade reading and math despite its strong 4th-grade results. Overall, Gautier's schools prove that high-poverty schools can perform well, but improving middle-school attendance and stabilizing elementary skill-building would give the city a clear path to even stronger outcomes.
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