Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Elementary Schools in Meridian, MS

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Mississippi rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

At a glance

Schools

4,646

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedClarkdale Elementary School22^nd of 377 Mississippi elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Southeast Elementary School up 45 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Parkview Elementary 12.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

Compare Mississippi cities →See the top-ranked Mississippi schools →

Summary:

This data set covers 9 elementary schools in Meridian, Mississippi serving 4,646 students in grades PK-4 through PK-6 across two very different districts: Lauderdale County School District (4 schools, 87th percentile, 4 stars) and Meridian Public Schools (5 schools, 10th percentile, 1 star). The performance gap is stark — Lauderdale County schools average above state proficiency in 4th grade ELA and math, while Meridian Public schools lag far behind, especially in math where only 18-21% of students are proficient. Poverty is heavily concentrated in Meridian Public, where nearly every school has 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility, compared to a 60% weighted average in Lauderdale County.

Clarkdale Elementary is the clear standout, ranking #22 in the state with 5 stars and beating state averages in nearly every subject and grade. West Lauderdale Elementary is a strong second at #82 despite having the highest student-teacher ratio (17.2) in the group. Within Meridian Public, West Hills Elementary is the bright spot at #257, even outranking Northeast Elementary in the higher-rated district. Poplar Springs Elementary leads the area in attendance with just 13.3% chronic absenteeism, though it ranks only #301 academically — proof that attendance alone doesn't drive test scores.

Science is the strongest subject across nearly every school, with Clarkdale 5th graders reaching 93.7% proficiency. Top schools are improving — Clarkdale rose from #32 to #22 and West Lauderdale from #97 to #82 — while the bottom five schools remain stuck in the bottom 10-15%. Northeast Elementary is a concern, falling from #230 to #277 despite being in a strong district. Student-teacher ratios don't predict success: Parkview Elementary has the lowest ratio (12.6) but ranks #343, while West Lauderdale thrives at 17.2. For parents, school-level factors like instructional quality and climate matter more than district reputation alone.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)				MAAP Mathematics (2026)				MAAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	6750 Newell Road	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 485-4882	730	56	13.1	77.8%	209 (28.6%)	443 (60.7%)	37 (5.1%)	12 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (3.7%)	29.3	277^th of 377 public elementary schools	26.5%		40.3	230^th of 383 public elementary schools	39.9%	47	33.3	42.5			21.0	47.3				$11,676
West Lauderdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	10350 Highway 495	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 737-2279	761	44	17.2	46.1%	580 (76.2%)	119 (15.6%)	32 (4.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.4%)	74.9	82^nd of 377 public elementary schools	78.2%		73.3	92^nd of 383 public elementary schools	76.0%	10	55.8	63.6			52.9	71.3				$9,508
Clarkdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7000 Highway 145	Meridian	39301	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 693-4463	527	36	14.5	45.4%	437 (82.9%)	49 (9.3%)	7 (1.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.9%)	90.8	22^nd of 377 public elementary schools	94.2%		87.5	32^nd of 383 public elementary schools	91.6%	10	65.8	79.7	82.5	81.7	60.0	79.7	68.3	77.4	93.7	$9,864
Southeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2362 A Long Creek Road	Meridian	39031	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 486-2500	562	34	16.7	69.4%	363 (64.6%)	166 (29.5%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	54.5	167^th of 377 public elementary schools	55.7%		44.8	212^th of 383 public elementary schools	44.6%	45	50.5	56.1			33.6	57.1				$9,391
Crestwood Elementary	Public	K-5	730 Crestwood Dr	Meridian	39301	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4971	368	22	16.3	99.2%	9 (2.4%)	328 (89.1%)	21 (5.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	9.4	361^st of 377 public elementary schools	4.2%		10.4	359^th of 383 public elementary schools	6.3%	2	28.7	26.4	34.4		12.9	15.1	21.3		49.2	$13,837
Parkview Elementary	Public	K-5	1225 26th St	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4990	364	29	12.6	100.0%	2 (0.5%)	347 (95.3%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	12.5	343^rd of 377 public elementary schools	9.0%		16.8	339^th of 383 public elementary schools	11.5%	4	19.4	31.6	40.0		13.5	21.1	27.3		56.3	$14,081
Poplar Springs Elementary	Public	K-5	4101 27th Ave	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4450	405	28	14.5	100.0%	32 (7.9%)	339 (83.7%)	14 (3.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	24.6	301^st of 377 public elementary schools	20.2%		31.6	269^th of 383 public elementary schools	29.8%	32	31.9	40.4	50.0		27.7	34.0	27.8		59.3	$14,692
West Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 32nd St	Meridian	39307	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4472	423	27	15.6	100.0%	4 (0.9%)	385 (91.0%)	16 (3.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	33.3	257^th of 377 public elementary schools	31.8%		27.3	290^th of 383 public elementary schools	24.3%	33	28.0	27.5	62.3		24.4	13.0	44.9		81.2	$13,480
Carver Elementary School	Public	K-5	900 44th Ave	Meridian	39307	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(601) 484-4482	506	31	16.3	100.0%	8 (1.6%)	462 (91.3%)	22 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	11.5	351^st of 377 public elementary schools	6.9%		5.4	379^th of 383 public elementary schools	1.0%	28	22.2	24.6	40.3		14.5	24.6	26.3		54.4	$6,880

Cities Near Meridian

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Collinsville	12.9 mi	2	13^th
Enterprise	15.36 mi	3	10^th
Quitman	22.16 mi	6	145^th
Decatur	23.55 mi	4	25^th
Newton	26.89 mi	4	162^nd

See the top MS Mississippi cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.