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Southaven Elementary School

Q: Is Southaven Elementary School a good school?

Southaven Elementary School ranks 280 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

280^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Southaven Elementary School serves 681 students in grades PK-5 in Southaven, MS, and is part of the DeSoto County School District, a solidly above-average district in Mississippi. Despite the district's overall success, Southaven Elementary School has struggled persistently, earning a 1-star rating and ranking in the 26th percentile of Mississippi elementary schools in the most recent state report card. Over the past decade, the school has never ranked above the 43rd percentile, placing it in the bottom third to bottom quarter of the state's elementary schools year after year.

The school serves a high-poverty population, with 78.4% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25, far above nearby higher-performing schools like Pleasant Hill Elementary School (42.1%) and DeSoto Central Elementary (45.4%). Chronic absenteeism is also a serious concern: 31.0% of students were chronically absent in 2023-24, well above the district rate of 26.4% and state rate of 23.9%, and nearly triple the school's pre-pandemic rate of 11.2%. Proficiency rates trail district and state averages — in 2025-26, average ELA/math proficiency was roughly 37.6%, compared to 48.7% for the district and 51.1% for the state. The school also saw its student-teacher ratio jump from 11.7 in 2023-24 to 16.2 in 2024-25, a change that could mean fewer individualized supports for students.

There are some bright spots worth noting. Southaven Elementary outperforms nearby Horn Lake Intermediate School by a meaningful margin — 37.6% average ELA/math proficiency versus 27.4%. Fourth grade math has been a relative strength, coming close to district and state averages in multiple years, and 5th grade science proficiency rose to 60.9% in 2025-26, narrowing the gap to the state to roughly 10 points. However, 3rd grade math remains a persistent weak point, with proficiency as low as 26.5% in 2025-26. The school's biggest opportunities for improvement are likely reducing chronic absenteeism and strengthening early-grade math instruction, since its own success in 4th grade math and 5th grade science shows progress is possible when conditions align.

681

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,645

Per pupil spending ?

78.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8274 Claiborne Drive
Southaven, MS 38671

(662) 342-2289

District: Desoto County School District

Students who attend Southaven Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Southaven Middle School
High:	Southaven High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.1%

White:

22.2%

Hispanic:

13.2%

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Compare Southaven Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 40th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (41% vs 54% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% Mississippi)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg52%

Mississippi avg54%

280^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 40% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Desoto County School District

45^th of 134Desoto County 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
2026	29.2	280 of 377	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.9	256 of 383	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.5	280 of 390	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	295 of 377	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	238 of 382	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	262 of 381	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.4	293 of 397	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.6	232 of 404	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.2	280 of 406	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.8	238 of 394	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.2	189 of 402	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	20.5	345 of 394	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.4	255 of 408	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	51.8	201 of 414	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	49.5	215 of 418	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.9	238 of 403	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.1	182 of 392	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	50.4	208 of 394	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science61%-11 vs state

English Language Arts40%-12 vs state

Mathematics35%-15 vs state

2.3

3 ratings

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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Schools Near Southaven 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
Southaven Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8274 Claiborne Drive	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 342-2289	681	42	16.2	78.4%	151 (22.2%)	375 (55.1%)	90 (13.2%)	9 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (7.8%)	29.2	280^th of 377 public elementary schools	25.7%		35.9	256^th of 383 public elementary schools	33.2%	24	30.6	43.6	45.7	26.5	42.7	36.2	60.9	$10,645
Hope Sullivan Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	7985 Southaven Circle W	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-2919	563	35	16.3	72.3%	105 (18.7%)	318 (56.5%)	93 (16.5%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.5%)								(n/a)								$10,907
Southaven Intermediate School	Public	3-5	175 Rasco Road E	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 253-0123	1,046	65	16.0	68.6%	213 (20.4%)	585 (55.9%)	160 (15.3%)	14 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	71 (6.8%)	36.2	245^th of 377 public elementary schools	35.0%		43.7	217^th of 383 public elementary schools	43.3%	28	33.0	38.8	48.3	37.9	38.0	44.7	71.5	$9,785
Greenbrook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	730 Rasco Road E	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 342-2330	556	37	15.2	70.0%	121 (21.8%)	320 (57.6%)	64 (11.5%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (7.4%)								(n/a)								$10,458
Horn Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	6341 Ridgewood Drive	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-4608	520	30	17.3	72.9%	74 (14.2%)	347 (66.7%)	65 (12.5%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.6%)								(n/a)								$12,361
Shadow Oaks Elementary School	Public	K-2	380 Shadow Oaks Parkway	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-4585	423	25	17.2	80.1%	52 (12.3%)	297 (70.2%)	55 (13.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)								(n/a)								$11,389
Horn Lake Intermediate School	Public	3-5	6585 Horn Lake Road	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 280-7075	914	51	17.9	79.9%	122 (13.3%)	634 (69.4%)	104 (11.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (5.6%)	14.5	331^st of 377 public elementary schools	12.2%		22	320^th of 383 public elementary schools	16.4%	11	26.7	29.5	42.1	16.3	25.6	24.0	57.5	$10,824
DeSoto Central Elementary	Public	3-5	2411 Central Parkway	Southaven	38672	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 349-6234	831	52	16.1	45.4%	263 (31.6%)	365 (43.9%)	91 (11.0%)	43 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (8.2%)	36.7	242^nd of 377 public elementary schools	35.8%		58.3	161^st of 383 public elementary schools	58.0%	81	48.6	48.4	47.9	34.3	34.9	36.4	62.8	$8,778
Pleasant Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7686 Pleasant Hill Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 890-9654	1,079	65	16.7	42.1%	381 (35.3%)	471 (43.7%)	91 (8.4%)	35 (3.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	97 (9.0%)	69.4	109^th of 377 public elementary schools	71.1%		76.4	74^th of 383 public elementary schools	80.7%	35	45.4	59.6	63.6	50.5	68.4	57.4	79.3	$9,903
DeSoto Central Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	3210 Getwell Rd	Southaven	38672	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 912-1300	792	47	16.8	40.8%	304 (38.4%)	292 (36.9%)	93 (11.7%)	34 (4.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	67 (8.5%)								(n/a)								$10,126

Frequently Asked Questions about Southaven Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Southaven Elementary School?

Students at Southaven Elementary School are 55% African American, 22% White, 13% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Southaven Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 681 students attended Southaven Elementary School.

Is Southaven Elementary School a good school?

Southaven Elementary School ranks 280^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Southaven Elementary School in?

Desoto County School District

What schools do graduates of Southaven Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Southaven Middle School
High : Southaven High School

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 MAAP test scoresNewAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 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.