DeSoto Central Elementary

DeSoto Central Elementary is a grades 3–5 school in Southaven, MS, serving 831 students as part of the DeSoto County School District. The school has experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune over the past decade: it was once one of Mississippi's top elementary schools, ranking 30th out of 394 schools (92nd percentile, 5 stars) in 2015–16, but by the most recent data (2025–26) it had fallen to 242nd out of 377 schools (36th percentile, 2 stars). The decline has accelerated recently, with the school's percentile dropping from 75 to 36 in just two reported years. That said, the school has one clear strength: chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 14.3% (2023–24), roughly half the district's rate of 26.4%, so missing class is not what's driving the academic slide.

Academically, math is the school's weakest subject. In 2025–26, math proficiency ranged from 34.3% to 36.4% across grades 3–5, compared to state averages of roughly 49–52% — a gap of 12–16 points in every grade. Science has also fallen sharply, from 83.7% proficiency in 2023–24 to 62.8% in 2025–26, putting it below the state average after years of being well above it. English Language Arts is closer to state averages but still lagging in the upper grades. These results are particularly puzzling because the school has a moderate poverty rate (45.4% free/reduced lunch) — not high for the area — and far better attendance than nearby schools like Shadow Oaks Elementary School (80.1% poverty, 32.9% chronic absenteeism).

Comparisons with nearby schools make the decline even more striking. Just 6.4 miles away, Lewisburg Intermediate School ranks in the 93rd percentile with 5 stars, but it serves a wealthier population (19.6% poverty). More concerning is Pleasant Hill Elementary School, only 3.6 miles away, which has nearly identical poverty (42.1%) yet ranks 109th (71st percentile, 4 stars) and outperforms DeSoto Central by 20–30 points in math and 15+ points in ELA. The school's feeder, DeSoto Central Primary School, has similar demographics, so the attendance area appears stable. Given the school's history of excellence, its recent performance signals a systemic issue that the district needs to address with urgency.