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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 90 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

90^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a PK–6 elementary school in Lucedale, MS, serving 660 students within the strong George County School District, which ranks 27th out of 134 Mississippi districts. Central holds a 4-star SchoolDigger rating and ranks 89th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools for 2025-2026, placing it in the 76th percentile. The school serves a high-poverty community, with a free/reduced lunch rate around 70% in 2024-2025, yet still delivers above-average results across most subjects.

Central's biggest strengths are in math and science. In 4th grade math, 83.3% of students scored proficient in 2025-2026 — well above the state average of 51.5%. Science scores were equally impressive, with 89.3% of 5th graders proficient versus 71.5% statewide. Attendance is another bright spot: chronic absenteeism at Central (23.6%) is lower than the district average (31.8%) and lower than every neighboring George County elementary, including Rocky Creek Elementary (28.6%), Benndale Elementary (28.5%), and LT Taylor Intermediate (32.0%).

The main area to watch is literacy in the upper grades. While 4th grade ELA is exceptional at 75.7% proficiency — even beating East Central Upper Elementary (69.6%) from the top-ranked Jackson County School District — 6th grade ELA lags at 46.4%, below both the district (54.3%) and state (48.0%). Similarly, 3rd grade math dipped to 48.4% in 2025-2026 after two years above 80%. Within George County, Central ranks behind two smaller peers — Benndale Elementary (rank 60) and Rocky Creek Elementary (rank 73) — but ahead of Agricola Elementary and LT Taylor Intermediate. If Central can translate its early-grade success into stronger upper-grade performance, it has real potential to climb into the top tier of Mississippi elementary schools.

660

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,201

Per pupil spending ?

70.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14159 Hwy 26 West
Lucedale, MS 39452

(601) 947-2429

District: George County School District

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	George County Middle School
High:	George County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.8%

Two or more races:

17.9%

Hispanic:

4.2%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 56th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (64% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Mississippi elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg60%

Mississippi avg53%

90^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to top 24% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the George County School District

27^th of 133George 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	74.2	90 of 377	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	72.1	101 of 383	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	85 of 390	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	124 of 377	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.3	91 of 382	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	82.5	58 of 381	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	66.7	126 of 397	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.0	136 of 404	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.5	197 of 406	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.7	173 of 394	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.7	178 of 402	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.1	199 of 394	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.9	204 of 408	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.4	211 of 414	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.4	206 of 418	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	47.1	231 of 403	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.5	234 of 392	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.6	188 of 394	52.3%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science89%+18 vs state

Mathematics61%+11 vs state

English Language Arts60%+9 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Staff and Administrators are amazing. 2017/2018 school year has been a complete 180 from previous years. Students are excited to go to school and eager to learn! Close Quote

Schools Near Central 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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	Total
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	14159 Hwy 26 West	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-2429	660	41	16.0	70.2%	487 (73.8%)	24 (3.6%)	28 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (17.9%)	74.2	90^th of 377 public elementary schools	76.1%		72.1	101^st of 383 public elementary schools	73.6%	11	55.8	75.7	63.1	46.4			48.4	83.3	52.3	64.8			89.3		$8,201
Lt Taylor Intermediate School	Public	3-6	159 Mable St	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-6065	293	19	15.0	74.7%	194 (66.2%)	48 (16.4%)	17 (5.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (10.9%)	47	198^th of 377 public elementary schools	47.5%		46.3	207^th of 383 public elementary schools	46.0%	9	45.9	43.2	51.9	47.3			43.4	37.4	39.5	59.5			71.6		$10,319
Lc Hatcher Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	689 Church St	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-3110	280	19	14.6	71.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$12,103
Benndale Elementary School	Public	K-6	5204 Hwy 26 West	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 766-6341	138	14	9.7	72.5%	102 (73.9%)	24 (17.4%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.5%)	80.5	60^th of 377 public elementary schools	84.1%		67.7	122^nd of 383 public elementary schools	68.1%	62	72.7	72.7	58.8	53.9			68.2	45.5	70.5	61.6			94.1		$14,759
Agricola Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6165 Hwy 613 S	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-8447	543	34	16.0	56.5%	401 (73.8%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	124 (22.8%)	72.2	98^th of 377 public elementary schools	74.0%		59.2	160^th of 383 public elementary schools	58.2%	62	73.1	40.8	71.7	62.8			73.1	48.7	66.7	45.7			88.4		$9,263
Rocky Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2183 Rocky Creek Road	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-3886	402	28	14.1	56.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	77.6	74^th of 377 public elementary schools	80.4%		76.5	73^rd of 383 public elementary schools	80.9%	1	70.4	58.4	76.3	64.6			61.1	56.3	50.0	64.6			78.9		$10,495
East Central Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	5400 Hurley Wade Road	Moss Point	39562	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3220	566	36	15.8	56.9%	511 (90.3%)	14 (2.5%)	16 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.2%)	85.8	38^th of 377 public elementary schools	89.9%		84.4	46^th of 383 public elementary schools	88.0%	8	58.4	69.6	75.1				61.5	69.5	74.0				88.4		$9,710
East Central Lower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	5621 Highway 614	Moss Point	39562	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3300	567	29	19.4	57.8%	509 (89.8%)	17 (3.0%)	16 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.1%)								(n/a)															$9,998
Mclain Attendance Center	Public	K-8	114 Shows Street/198 Bypass	Mc Lain	39456	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 753-2257	160	14	11.2	98.1%	109 (68.1%)	27 (16.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (14.4%)	18.1	326^th of 377 public elementary schools	13.5%					(n/a)	38.1	42.1	31.3	38.9	42.9	50.0	23.8	31.6	12.5	11.1	42.8	42.9	50.0	64.3	$15,395
Leakesville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	175 Annex Road	Leakesville	39451	Greene County	Greene County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 394-2493	423	26	15.9	99.3%	316 (74.7%)	80 (18.9%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	45.2	213^th of 377 public elementary schools	43.5%		39	240^th of 383 public elementary schools	37.3%	27	45.7	45.6					39.5	50.6							$10,279

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 74% White, 18% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 4% African American.

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 660 students attended Central Elementary School.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

George County School District

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : George County Middle School
High : George County High School

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 90^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Central Elementary School!

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Schools in Lucedale, MS

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 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.