Elementary Schools in Attala County Schools

The Attala County Schools district in rural Mississippi includes two elementary schools—Greenlee Attendance Center and Long Creek Elementary School—both serving grades PK–6. The district is rated 4 stars and ranks 32nd out of 134 districts statewide, while both schools serve very high-poverty populations, with more than 98% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism at both schools is around 23%, roughly matching the state average and well below the district's 31.4% rate.

Greenlee Attendance Center is a clear academic standout, ranked 42nd out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools in 2025–2026 (89th percentile) after ranking in the top 50 in each of the previous two years. Greenlee outperforms both district and state averages by wide margins across most subjects, including a phenomenal 97.5% proficiency rate in 5th grade science and 81.1% in 4th grade ELA, compared with 52.4% statewide. Long Creek Elementary School ranks much lower overall—238th (37th percentile)—and trails Greenlee by roughly 26 percentage points in average proficiency. However, Long Creek's 6th grade mathematics results are a bright spot: 80% proficiency in 2025–2026, essentially tied with Greenlee and far above the state average of 52.7%.

The achievement gap between these two schools is striking because they serve nearly identical student populations. In 3rd grade math, Greenlee's proficiency rate of 73.1% dwarfs Long Creek's 23.5%, a nearly 50-point gap. Interestingly, Long Creek has a more favorable student-teacher ratio (10.5 compared to Greenlee's 14.1), yet performs significantly lower—suggesting that curriculum, teacher effectiveness, and instructional consistency matter more than class size alone. Greenlee's exceptional results demonstrate that high poverty does not prevent high achievement. Long Creek's small enrollment of 199 students creates year-to-year swings in test scores, so parents should interpret single-year changes cautiously; its 6th grade math program, however, has been consistently strong for two consecutive years.