Summary:
The McComb School District in Mississippi has three elementary schools serving grades PK through 4, with a combined enrollment of about 890 students in a high-poverty area where every student qualifies for free/reduced lunch. The district is ranked 96th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, and the three schools — Otken Elementary School, Kennedy Elementary School, and Summit Elementary School — share similar challenges, but their results differ.
Summit Elementary School is the strongest performer in the district, with a current state ranking in the 38th percentile and a 2-star rating. It improved to 41.8% average proficiency across tested subjects, outpacing Otken Elementary School's 33.0%, and it also has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 24.2%, close to the state rate. Otken Elementary School has pockets of strength, especially in 4th grade, where ELA proficiency reaches 47.8% and math 43.6%, but its 3rd grade scores are very low — just 23.2% in ELA and 17.2% in math. Kennedy Elementary School serves only pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, so it has no state test scores or ranking, but it offers the lowest student–teacher ratio at 13.8:1, giving the district's youngest students more individual attention.
Chronic absenteeism aligns closely with performance: Summit has the best attendance and best academics, while Otken has the highest absenteeism at 32.4% and the lowest scores. A major concern is the current 3rd grade cohort, especially at Otken, where proficiency fell by roughly 20 points in both ELA and math compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the same students who were in 3rd grade last year improved significantly as 4th graders this year. For parents, the key takeaway is that Summit is currently the most consistent choice, but Otken shows that strong 4th grade results are possible there too. Attendance and early intervention, especially as students enter 3rd grade, are critical for success in this district.
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