Summary:
West Tallahatchie School District is served by a single elementary school, R.H. Bearden Elementary, which enrolls 251 students in grades K through 6 in the rural town of Sumner, Mississippi. Because it is the only elementary school in West Tallahatchie School District, the school’s results are identical to the district’s elementary profile, making it the focal point for any family exploring this area.
R.H. Bearden Elementary stands out most for its exceptional 6th grade mathematics performance. In the 2025–2026 school year, 74.2% of 6th graders scored proficient in math, far exceeding the state average of 52.7%. This follows a similar strong showing the prior year, suggesting a real strength in upper-elementary math instruction. The school also posted impressive year-over-year gains across many subjects, including a 17.2-point jump in 3rd grade math, a 15.3-point gain in 5th grade English Language Arts, and a 12.0-point improvement in 5th grade science. These gains helped the school climb from the 12th percentile in state rankings in 2023–2024 to the 32nd percentile in 2025–2026, moving from a 1-star to a 2-star rating.
Despite this progress, significant challenges remain. English Language Arts proficiency trails the state by 11 to 22 percentage points in every grade, and 5th grade science, while improved, still sits 24.2 points below the state average. With 98.8% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, though chronic absenteeism (20.9%) is actually better than both the state average (23.9%) and the district average (31.8%). For parents, the picture is one of a high-poverty school with clear momentum: math is a standout, several subjects are improving quickly, and the school’s positive trajectory suggests continued gains in the years ahead.
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