Schools in Mathiston, MS

Mathiston, Mississippi is home to just one school: East Webster Elementary School, a public elementary school serving grades PK through 5 with an enrollment of 434 students. The school is part of the Webster County Schools district, which ranks 29th out of 134 districts in Mississippi (78th percentile) with a 4-star rating. With only one school in the city, there are no direct school-to-school comparisons; instead, East Webster is evaluated against its district and the state of Mississippi.

East Webster Elementary demonstrates several clear academic strengths. In English Language Arts, the school outperformed the state in every tested grade in 2025–2026, with 3rd grade at 61.2% proficiency, 4th grade at 58.1%, and 5th grade at 64.2%, compared to state averages of 48.5%, 52.4%, and 55.8% respectively. Fifth grade science is the school's standout subject at 83.6% proficiency, more than 12 points above the state average. Fifth grade math is also strong at 73.1% proficiency, well above the district's 60.0% and the state's 49.6%. However, math performance is uneven: 3rd grade math proficiency is only 31.5%, far below the state average of 48.8%, and 4th grade math fell sharply by 31.2 points from the previous year. These patterns suggest the school is strongest in upper elementary, particularly in 5th grade.

The school also has notable non-academic strengths. Chronic absenteeism is 17.3%, notably better than the district's 26.0% and the state's 23.9%, suggesting strong family engagement. Approximately half of students (50.23%) are eligible for free or reduced lunch, yet the school still exceeds state proficiency in most areas. One area of concern is the school's statewide ranking trend: it dropped from 38th (90th percentile, 5 stars) in 2023–2024 to 113th (70th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026. While the school remains above average, this decline is worth attention. Overall, East Webster is a solid school with strengths in ELA and 5th grade, and if it can strengthen early math instruction, it has the potential to regain its former 5-star status.