Charleston Elementary School

Charleston Elementary School serves grades PK–4 in Charleston, Mississippi, as part of the East Tallahatchie School District, enrolling 316 students in a community where nearly all families face economic hardship. The school has ranked in the bottom 6% of Mississippi elementary schools since 2018-19 and currently sits in the 5th percentile with a 0-star rating, though it performed somewhat better earlier in the decade, reaching the 34th percentile in 2015-16.

Math proficiency is the most urgent challenge. Only 19.4% of 3rd graders and 23.1% of 4th graders scored proficient in math in 2025-26, roughly 29 percentage points below state averages. English Language Arts scores were also below average but comparatively less severe. Chronic absenteeism, at 23.8%, essentially matches the state average and is far better than the district's 36.9%, so getting students to school does not appear to be the main obstacle. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.4:1, lower than nearby R.H. Bearden Elementary (20.9:1) and Pope School (16.3:1).

Perhaps the most striking comparison is Quitman County Elementary, which serves the same grade span with the same 100% poverty rate. Yet Quitman County achieved 53.2% proficiency in 3rd grade math versus Charleston's 19.4%, and 52.4% versus 23.1% in 4th grade — a gap of 20 to 30 points. This suggests poverty alone does not explain the outcomes; curriculum, instruction, and leadership likely matter greatly. Charleston's test scores also swing widely from year to year, so single-year results should be interpreted cautiously. While the school has improved slightly since its 2021-22 low point, it remains stuck near the bottom — and the path forward may involve learning from schools like Quitman County that are achieving far better results with equally challenged students.