Best Public Schools in Merigold, MS

Summary:

The city of Merigold, Mississippi has one standout public elementary school, the Hayes Cooper Center For Math School Tec, which serves grades PK-6 and has a total enrollment of 328 students. This school is part of the Cleveland School District, which is ranked 86 out of 130 school districts in Mississippi and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The Hayes Cooper Center For Math School Tec appears to be a high-performing institution, consistently scoring significantly above the district and state averages on state assessments for 3rd-6th grade students in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school's 5th grade science proficiency rate of 70.9% in 2024-2025 is also well above the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate of 23.9% compared to the district and state.

These strong academic outcomes are likely due to the school's small student-teacher ratio of 13:1, which allows for more individualized attention and support for students. It is noteworthy that the school serves a high-poverty student population, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, yet is still able to outperform its peers across the district and state. The school's specialized focus on math and science appears to be a key factor in its success, and it could serve as a model for other schools looking to improve academic performance and equity.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)				MAAP Mathematics (2025)				MAAP Science (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Hayes Cooper Center	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	500 Martin L. King	Merigold	38759	Bolivar County	Cleveland School District	No	Yes	No	No	(662) 748-2734	304	21	14.7	100.0%	139 (45.7%)	132 (43.4%)	20 (6.6%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.3%)	67.7	121^st of 383 public elementary schools	68.4%		63	144^th of 390 public elementary schools	63.1%	23	41.9	61.3	71.0	86.7	44.2	45.2	83.9	86.7	70.9	$10,835

Cities Near Merigold

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mound Bayou	3.11 mi	1	115^th
Cleveland	5.7 mi	8	180^th
Shelby	7.93 mi	1	157^th
Boyle	9.08 mi	1	43^rd
Drew	11.23 mi	2	120^th

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.