Eastside Elementary School

Eastside Elementary School is a top-ranked public elementary school in Clinton, MS, serving 747 students in 4th and 5th grades as part of the Clinton Public School District, located on Arrow Drive alongside its feeder partners Northside Elementary (grades 2–3) and Clinton Park Elementary (PK–1). The school serves a substantial economically diverse population — roughly 48% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — and maintains a student-teacher ratio of about 15.2:1.

Academically, Eastside is one of Mississippi's very best elementary schools, ranking 9th out of 377 schools in 2025–2026 (98th percentile) with a 5-star rating — a distinction it has earned every single year since 2015–2016. Test scores tower above state averages: 4th grade math proficiency is 84.3% versus 51.5% statewide, and 5th grade science reaches 90.8% versus 71.5% statewide. The gap is even more dramatic when compared with nearby Jackson Public Schools, where elementary math proficiency ranges from roughly 11% to 37%. English Language Arts, while slightly lower at 73–77%, still far surpasses the state average.

Eastside also stands out for student attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.5% is less than half the state's 23.9% and a fraction of the rates at nearby Jackson elementary schools, which range from 24.3% to 45.6%. The school's elite performance has been remarkably stable — it has never ranked below the 93rd percentile in over a decade, even during the pandemic. Within its own district, Northside's strong 3rd grade scores suggest the Clinton feeder pattern builds a solid academic foundation that Eastside then carries through the upper elementary years. For parents in the Jackson metro area, Eastside combines top-tier academics, strong attendance, and consistency that few schools in the region can match.