Summary:
Verona, Mississippi, is served by a single elementary school, Verona Elementary School, which enrolls 364 students in grades PK–4, and because there is no middle or high school in the city, students must transition to schools outside Verona after 4th grade. Verona Elementary is a high-poverty school with 99.18% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, yet it maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.3 to 1. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 21.4% is actually better than both the Lee County district average of 26.2% and the Mississippi state average of 23.9%, suggesting relatively strong attendance despite economic challenges.
Academically, Verona Elementary School trails its district and state by wide margins in every tested subject and grade. In 2025–2026, only 23.8% of 3rd graders and 27.5% of 4th graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared with district rates of 51.6% and 46.0% and state rates of 48.5% and 52.4%. Math results are similarly low: 3rd grade proficiency was just 18.8% versus 48.8% statewide, a 30-point gap, while 4th grade math reached 30.4% versus 51.5% statewide. Year-over-year trends are mixed—4th grade showed improvement in both subjects, but 3rd grade declined, especially in math, which fell from 34.2% to 18.8%.
The school’s state ranking has improved slightly, from 383rd out of 390 (2nd percentile) in 2023–2024 to 348th out of 377 (8th percentile) in 2025–2026, but it still earns 0 stars and remains in the bottom 10% of Mississippi elementary schools. While the poverty rate provides important context, the low proficiency rates indicate significant academic challenges in foundational skills. The relatively low absenteeism and small class sizes offer a foundation to build on, but closing the large achievement gap will require additional instructional support and resources beyond what is currently in place.
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