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DeSoto Central Elementary

Q: Is DeSoto Central Elementary a good school?

DeSoto Central Elementary ranks 161 st of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

161^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Desoto Central Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades 3-5 in Southaven, Mississippi, part of the Desoto County School District, which is ranked 34 out of 130 school districts in the state. With 820 students, Desoto Central Elementary has consistently been among the top-performing elementary schools in Mississippi, ranking as high as 32nd out of 406 schools in 2016-2017.

Desoto Central Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, consistently outpacing the district and state averages on standardized tests. In 2024-2025, 59.9% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 50.7% for the district and 49.4% for the state. The school also has lower chronic absenteeism rates than the district and state. However, the school's ranking has declined slightly in recent years, from 32nd to 161st out of 383 schools, potentially due to the improving performance of other schools in the region.

While Desoto Central Elementary is a high-performing school, nearby schools like Lewisburg Intermediate and Pleasant Hill Elementary also rank among the top elementary schools in Mississippi. Additionally, Desoto Central Elementary has seen a significant decrease in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting it serves a more economically diverse population compared to some of the nearby schools.

831

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,778

Per pupil spending ?

45.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2411 Central Parkway
Southaven, MS 38672

(662) 349-6234

District: Desoto County School District

Students who attend DeSoto Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Desoto Central Middle School
High:	Desoto Central High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

43.9%

White:

31.6%

Hispanic:

11.0%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare DeSoto Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Mississippi median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 33 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg56%

Mississippi avg54%

161^st of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 33 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 12Elementary Schools in the Desoto County School District

34^th of 130Desoto 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
2025	58.3	161 of 383	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.1	96 of 390	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	84 of 377	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	69 of 382	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	66 of 381	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	49 of 397	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	86.7	35 of 404	91.3%	★★★★★
2017	88.5	32 of 406	92.1%	★★★★★
2016	87.2	30 of 394	92.4%	★★★★★
2015	87.9	35 of 402	91.3%	★★★★★
2014	83.4	35 of 394	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	94.6	7 of 408	98.3%	★★★★★
2012	94.2	13 of 414	96.9%	★★★★★
2011	93.5	14 of 418	96.7%	★★★★★
2010	94.1	12 of 403	97.0%	★★★★★
2009	93.3	13 of 392	96.7%	★★★★★
2008	92.8	17 of 394	95.7%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science71%+5 vs state

English Language Arts56%+3 vs state

Mathematics50%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, September 2, 2011

Awesome leadership with Ms. Wilkinson & Ms. Laster! Amazing Staff!!! The teachers are wonderful and really CARE about our kids! Candie the Counselor is priceless!!! THIS SCHOOL IS TERRIFIC!!!! Close Quote

Schools Near DeSoto Central Elementary

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
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%)	58.3	161^st of 383 public elementary schools	58.0%		73.1	96^th of 390 public elementary schools	75.4%	65	59.9	51.2	55.5	50.0	47.7	51.3	70.9	$8,778
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
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
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%)	43.7	217^th of 383 public elementary schools	43.3%		51.4	197^th of 390 public elementary schools	49.5%	20	37.1	40.9	52.7	41.2	49.7	50.2	66.2	$9,785
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%)	76.4	74^th of 383 public elementary schools	80.7%		79.5	63^rd of 390 public elementary schools	83.8%	11	56.2	57.6	73.9	56.7	80.4	65.1	72.9	$9,903
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%)	35.9	256^th of 383 public elementary schools	33.2%		29.5	280^th of 390 public elementary schools	28.2%	24	37.5	34.0	43.4	45.2	53.8	47.8	48.7	$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
Horn Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	6341 Ridgewood Rd.	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
Hernando Hills Elementary	Public	2-3	570 Old McIngvale Road	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 429-9117	770	48	16.0	36.6%	569 (73.9%)	95 (12.3%)	64 (8.3%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.7%)								(n/a)	67.0			68.6				$10,187
Shadow Oaks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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

Frequently Asked Questions about DeSoto Central Elementary

What is the racial makeup of DeSoto Central Elementary?

Students at DeSoto Central Elementary are 44% African American, 32% White, 11% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend DeSoto Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 831 students attended DeSoto Central Elementary.

What schools do graduates of DeSoto Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend DeSoto Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desoto Central Middle School
High : Desoto Central High School

Is DeSoto Central Elementary a good school?

DeSoto Central Elementary ranks 161^st of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is DeSoto Central Elementary in?

Desoto County School District

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Schools in Southaven, MS

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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.