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McNeal Elementary School

Q: Is McNeal Elementary School a good school?

McNeal Elementary School ranks 267 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

267^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

McNeal Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Canton, Mississippi, serving 385 students in the Canton Public Schools district. It is a high-poverty school — 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch — and it currently ranks 266th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools (29th percentile, 2 stars), an improvement from its 1-star ranking in 2017–18 but still the lowest-ranked elementary school in its district.

Academically, McNeal trails both the district and state in most subjects. Average ELA proficiency is 36.8% (district: 44.5%; state: 52.2%), and average math proficiency is 39.3% (district: 47.0%; state: 50.0%). The most concerning area is 4th grade math, where just 28.6% of students are proficient — compared to 66.7% at Canton Elementary, a nearby school in the same district serving the exact same 100% free lunch population. This 38-point gap shows that poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes and that school-level practices matter. McNeal also has the highest student-teacher ratio among district elementary schools at 17.3 to 1, up from 14.7 the year before.

There are some bright spots. McNeal's chronic absenteeism rate of 19.5% is well below the district (26.4%) and state (23.9%) averages, and its 5th grade science proficiency (70.9%) is nearly identical to the state average (71.5%). The stark contrast with nearby Madison County Schools — where schools like Madison Station Elementary serve far fewer low-income students (14% FRPL) and rank in the 98th percentile — underscores the strong link between concentrated poverty and achievement, while the in-district comparison to Canton Elementary shows that stronger outcomes are possible for the same population.

385

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,746

Per pupil spending ?

56.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

364 Martin Luther King Drive
Canton, MS 39046

(601) 859-3654

District: Canton Public Schools

Students who attend McNeal Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Huey L Porter Middle
	Nichols Middle School
High:	Canton High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.7%

Hispanic:

13.8%

Two or more races:

0.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2018 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2018

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (42% vs 54% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 15 pts below the Mississippi average

!Near the bottom of Canton Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg49%

Mississippi avg54%

267^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▲ up 18 pts since 2018

From bottom 11% (2018) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Canton Public Schools

74^th of 133Canton Public Schools among Mississippi districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	31.9	267 of 377	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	312 of 351	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science71%~ state avg

Mathematics39%-11 vs state

English Language Arts37%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near McNeal Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)			MAAP Mathematics (2026)			MAAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
McNeal Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	364 Martin Luther King Drive	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 859-3654	385	22	17.3	—	0 (0.0%)	330 (85.7%)	53 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	31.9	267^th of 377 public elementary schools	29.2%					(n/a)	37.0	35.2	38.2	43.8	28.6	45.4	70.9	$10,746
SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy	Public, Charter	K-3	320 Garrett St.	Canton	39046	Madison County	SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(601) 749-6139	87	3	29.0	27.6%	1 (1.1%)	82 (94.3%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)								(n/a)	41.2			23.6				$85,162
Canton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	365 Vanburen Street	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 859-2400	411	24	17.0	—	7 (1.7%)	244 (59.4%)	153 (37.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	58.4	153^rd of 377 public elementary schools	59.4%		39.3	236^th of 380 public elementary schools	37.9%	83	36.8	51.6	48.9	59.2	66.7	54.6	75.5	$11,473
Reuben B. Myers Arts & Sciences	Public	PK, KG-5	357 Old Yazoo Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 855-7819	378	24	15.7	—	4 (1.1%)	342 (90.5%)	30 (7.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	46.7	201^st of 377 public elementary schools	46.7%		41.4	227^th of 380 public elementary schools	40.3%	26	44.7	42.9	57.7	39.5	39.3	41.2	78.8	$11,603
Jimmie M Goodloe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	551 Finney Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 407-1809	366	24	15.3	—	3 (0.8%)	287 (78.4%)	57 (15.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	52.1	175^th of 377 public elementary schools	53.6%		37.3	249^th of 380 public elementary schools	34.5%	74	34.6	52.2	57.4	36.6	44.8	59.2	77.7	$10,788
Madison Crossing Elementary	Public	K-5	300 Yandell Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 898-7710	761	48	15.8	42.7%	290 (38.1%)	396 (52.0%)	38 (5.0%)	20 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.1%)	77.2	75^th of 377 public elementary schools	80.1%		77	70^th of 380 public elementary schools	81.6%	5	60.4	57.8	76.5	54.7	55.5	68.4	87.4	$10,814
Madison Station Elementary	Public	K-5	459 Reunion Parkway	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 856-6246	980	64	15.3	14.0%	675 (68.9%)	136 (13.9%)	13 (1.3%)	110 (11.2%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	42 (4.3%)	95.6	6^th of 377 public elementary schools	98.4%		94.9	7^th of 380 public elementary schools	98.2%	1	80.7	78.8	84.0	77.8	87.3	81.6	89.6	$10,820
Mannsdale Elementary School	Public	K-2	443 Mannsdale Road	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 879-0309	578	36	16.2	10.9%	421 (72.8%)	112 (19.4%)	15 (2.6%)	19 (3.3%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)								(n/a)								$11,630
Mannsdale Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	371 Mannsdale Road	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 879-3433	578	42	13.7	13.8%	419 (72.5%)	107 (18.5%)	10 (1.7%)	25 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.8%)	92.7	15^th of 377 public elementary schools	96.0%		94.7	8^th of 380 public elementary schools	97.9%	7	76.7	82.5	70.7	74.9	82.5	72.2	88.7	$11,173
Madison Avenue Upper	Public	3-5	1209 Madison Avenue	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 856-6609	474	33	14.4	17.5%	327 (69.0%)	83 (17.5%)	16 (3.4%)	33 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.2%)	95.3	7^th of 377 public elementary schools	98.1%		94	12^th of 380 public elementary schools	96.8%	5	84.2	82.2	79.4	91.3	78.8	74.4	90.0	$11,572

Frequently Asked Questions about McNeal Elementary School

What schools do graduates of McNeal Elementary School attend?

Students who attend McNeal Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Huey L Porter Middle
Middle : Nichols Middle School
High : Canton High School

How many students attend McNeal Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 385 students attended McNeal Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of McNeal Elementary School?

Students at McNeal Elementary School are 86% African American, 14% Hispanic.

What district is McNeal Elementary School in?

Canton Public Schools

Is McNeal Elementary School a good school?

McNeal Elementary School ranks 267^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.