Summary:
Houston, Mississippi, is served by two elementary schools — Houston Lower Elementary School (grades PK-2) and Houston Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) — both part of the Chickasaw County School District, in a small, high-poverty community where roughly 78% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Houston Upper Elementary is the clear academic standout, especially in 5th grade, where science proficiency reached 88.2% (compared with 71.5% statewide), math hit 63.0% (vs. 49.6% statewide), and ELA reached 64.5% (vs. 55.8% statewide). In fact, Houston Upper outperformed its district in every subject and grade level in the most recent testing year. However, 3rd and 4th grade results lagged behind state averages, with the largest gap in 3rd grade math: just 37.0% proficient versus 48.8% statewide. This pattern suggests students struggle in early-to-mid elementary years but make substantial gains by 5th grade. Houston Lower, which serves only PK-2, has no state test scores but stands out for its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 11.5% — less than half the district rate of 23.6% and state rate of 23.9%.
Both schools share the same low chronic absenteeism rate (11.5%), pointing to a strong attendance culture across the entire PK-5 pipeline despite high poverty levels. Houston Upper also showed significant year-to-year swings: 4th grade ELA dropped from 69.3% to 47.2%, while 5th grade science improved from 75.2% to 88.2%. The district ranks 51st out of 134 Mississippi districts (62nd percentile, 3 stars), and Houston Upper's state ranking slipped from the 70th to 59th percentile in the most recent year. For parents, the key takeaway is that students at Houston Upper finish elementary school on a very strong note, especially in science, but the recent volatility in 3rd and 4th grade scores, particularly in math, will be worth watching in the years ahead.
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