Summary:
Mound Bayou, Mississippi has a single school, I. T. Montgomery Elementary School, serving grades PK–6 within the North Bolivar Consolidated district. This small elementary school of 185 students is the only educational option in the city, so all local outcomes revolve around its performance.
I. T. Montgomery Elementary stands out for its remarkable science achievement and upper-grade math strength. In 2025-2026, 90% of 5th graders scored proficient in Science—18.5 points above the state average (71.5%) and a 17.8-point improvement over the school’s own prior-year score. Fifth-grade math (60% proficient) and 6th-grade math (56.3%) also exceeded statewide averages, while the school improved from a 1-star rating (26th percentile) in 2023-2024 to a 2-star rating (41st percentile) in 2025-2026. However, English Language Arts remains the biggest concern: every grade trails the state by 10 to 17 points, with a school average of 36.8% proficiency versus 51.2% statewide. Lower-elementary math also lags, particularly 3rd-grade (36.3% vs. 48.8% statewide).
Despite serving a very high-poverty population (99.46% free/reduced lunch), the school posts a chronic absenteeism rate of 16.1%—better than both the district (18.7%) and the state (23.9%). Its low student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 likely supports more individualized attention. Year-over-year results are mixed, with strong gains in 4th-grade ELA, 5th-grade math, and 5th-grade Science, but declines in 3rd-grade ELA, 5th-grade ELA, and lower-grade math. Still, the school’s rising state rank and 2-star rating show meaningful progress relative to other Mississippi elementary schools. Because no middle or high schools exist in Mound Bayou, the data cannot determine whether these upper-elementary gains continue after 6th grade.
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