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Stokes Beard Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Stokes Beard Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Columbus, Mississippi, with 353 students. The school is part of the Columbus Municipal School District, which is ranked 119 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Stokes Beard Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom quarter of Mississippi elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 338 out of 383 schools and a 1-star rating.

Stokes Beard Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 19.3% to 30.1% over the past few years, well above the state average. The school's test scores are also consistently well below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 16.4% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 49.4% statewide. Additionally, 100% of Stokes Beard Elementary students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population.

When comparing Stokes Beard Elementary to other schools in the region, the disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes are stark. The other elementary schools in the Columbus Municipal School District also have low test scores and high poverty rates, suggesting systemic challenges facing the district. However, some nearby schools, such as Caledonia Elementary in the Lowndes County School District, have significantly higher test scores and a lower percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support to address the issues facing Stokes Beard Elementary and other schools in the Columbus Municipal School District.

369

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,893

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

311 Martin Luther King Dr
Columbus, MS 39701

(662) 241-7270

District: Columbus Municipal School District

Students who attend Stokes Beard Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Columbus Middle School
High:	Columbus High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.7%

White:

1.6%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Stokes Beard Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (31% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Science scores 27 pts below the Mississippi average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg35%

Mississippi avg54%

338^th of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Columbus Municipal School District

119^th of 130Columbus Municipal School District 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
2025	17.8	338 of 383	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	320 of 390	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	343 of 377	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	340 of 382	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	320 of 381	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	342 of 397	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	325 of 404	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.4	277 of 406	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	27.7	290 of 394	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.3	383 of 402	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	50.3	202 of 394	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.9	253 of 408	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.6	273 of 414	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.0	268 of 418	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.1	170 of 403	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	27.1	308 of 392	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	68.5	112 of 394	71.6%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science39%-27 vs state

English Language Arts29%-23 vs state

Mathematics29%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Stokes Beard Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)				MAAP Mathematics (2025)				MAAP Science (2025)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
Stokes Beard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	311 Martin Luther King Dr	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Columbus Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 241-7270	369	26	14.4	100.0%	6 (1.6%)	353 (95.7%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	17.8	338^th of 383 public elementary schools	11.7%		21.3	320^th of 390 public elementary schools	17.9%	18	16.4	32.5	47.3		19.6	42.5	31.5		39.4	$11,893
Fairview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	225 Airline Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Columbus Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 241-7140	244	16	15.4	99.6%	2 (0.8%)	239 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	18.9	332^nd of 383 public elementary schools	13.3%		35.2	262^nd of 390 public elementary schools	32.8%	70	19.2	44.7	29.5		21.3	50.0	25.0		40.9	$12,216
Franklin Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	501 3rd Avenue N	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Columbus Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 241-7150	231	17	13.9	100.0%	13 (5.6%)	195 (84.4%)	6 (2.6%)	6 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.8%)	27.9	286^th of 383 public elementary schools	25.3%		19.7	335^th of 390 public elementary schools	14.1%	49	13.3	31.0	40.5		31.1	51.7	35.1		67.5	$12,114
Cook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2217 7th Street N	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Columbus Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 241-7180	415	29	14.2	99.8%	18 (4.3%)	358 (86.3%)	25 (6.0%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	23	313^th of 383 public elementary schools	18.3%		27.6	294^th of 390 public elementary schools	24.6%	19	34.8	33.4	36.5		21.5	44.4	42.3		40.4	$12,452
Sale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	520 Warpath Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Columbus Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 241-7260	290	18	16.4	100.0%	7 (2.4%)	271 (93.4%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	27.6	287^th of 383 public elementary schools	25.1%		26.9	297^th of 390 public elementary schools	23.8%	10	28.3	34.9	42.5		30.5	39.5	37.5		62.5	$12,394
New Hope Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	199 Enlow Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-4760	1,191	85	14.0	66.8%	603 (50.6%)	527 (44.2%)	13 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (3.8%)	54.4	175^th of 383 public elementary schools	54.3%		52.7	187^th of 390 public elementary schools	52.1%	12	44.9	60.1	59.2		46.5	61.4	46.8		56.2	$10,482
West Lowndes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 Gilmer Wilburn Road	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-5050	276	25	11.1	98.6%	3 (1.1%)	268 (97.1%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23.1	312^th of 383 public elementary schools	18.5%		43.4	225^th of 390 public elementary schools	42.3%	87	21.6	34.3	38.5	30.3	37.8	25.7	30.8	54.6	42.3	$15,813
Caledonia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9509 Wolfe Rd	Caledonia	39740	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 356-2050	1,070	76	14.0	51.2%	777 (72.6%)	165 (15.4%)	58 (5.4%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (6.2%)	86.3	39^th of 383 public elementary schools	89.8%		89.5	25^th of 390 public elementary schools	93.6%	14	65.9	72.2	70.5		75.3	74.1	72.2		79.5	$9,899
East Side Elementary School	Public	PK-K	1039 E Broad Street	West Point	39773	Clay County	West Point Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 494-4691	251	16	15.8	92.4%	28 (11.2%)	207 (82.5%)	9 (3.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)								(n/a)										$11,511
Church Hill Elementary School	Public	1-2	2050 W Church Hill Road	West Point	39773	Clay County	West Point Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 494-5900	379	27	14.1	89.4%	57 (15.0%)	300 (79.2%)	8 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.9%)								(n/a)										$11,772

Frequently Asked Questions about Stokes Beard Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Stokes Beard Elementary School?

Students at Stokes Beard Elementary School are 96% African American, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Stokes Beard Elementary School in?

Columbus Municipal School District

Is Stokes Beard Elementary School a good school?

Stokes Beard Elementary School ranks in the bottom 11.7% of Mississippi elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Stokes Beard Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Stokes Beard Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Columbus Middle School
High : Columbus High School

How many students attend Stokes Beard Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Stokes Beard Elementary School.

Rate Stokes Beard Elementary School!

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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.