Summary:
The Coahoma County School District in rural Mississippi includes three elementary schools — Lyon Elementary, Jonestown Elementary, and Friars Point Elementary — all serving grades K–6 in a high-poverty area where 96–99% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The district itself holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 14th percentile statewide, but individual schools show meaningful differences in attendance, subject strengths, and recent trends.
Among the three, Jonestown Elementary is the standout for recent performance, earning 2 stars and the highest ranking (253 of 377) in 2025–2026. It leads the district in 5th-grade science proficiency at 73.3% (above the state average) and posts a remarkable 68.2% 6th-grade math proficiency rate — far above the district and state averages. Jonestown also has the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.8). Lyon Elementary excels in attendance and literacy, with the lowest chronic absenteeism (16.7%) and the highest average ELA proficiency (32.2%) in the district. Friars Point Elementary has shown the biggest improvement from a very low baseline, rising from a 0-star rating to a 275th-place ranking, and posts strong upper-grade math results (55.6% in 4th grade, 54.5% in 5th grade), but it also has the highest chronic absenteeism (30.0%) and very low 3rd-grade scores.
The overall picture is one of pockets of excellence amid systemic challenges. No school meets the state ELA average overall, yet individual grade levels shine — such as Lyon’s 4th-grade ELA (44.1%) and Jonestown’s 4th-grade ELA surge from 7.7% to 40.9%. Because enrollments are small (133–224 students), cohort-to-cohort swings can be dramatic, so rankings should be interpreted with care. Still, Jonestown’s success in math and science, Lyon’s attendance and literacy strengths, and Friars Point’s rapid improvement all point to actionable takeaways. The district’s next step is to replicate Jonestown’s targeted instructional strategies while addressing early-grade literacy and chronic absenteeism, especially at Friars Point.
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