Lt Taylor Intermediate School

LT Taylor Intermediate School in Lucedale, MS, serves 293 students in grades 3–6 and is part of the George County School District, a highly rated district that ranks in the top 20% of Mississippi districts. However, LT Taylor itself is currently the lowest-performing elementary school in its district, ranking 197th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools (48th percentile) with a 2-star rating. The school has seen a downward trend from a 3-star rating and 57th percentile as recently as 2022–2023.

Although LT Taylor's 74.7% free/reduced lunch rate is high, it is comparable to several other schools in the district, making poverty an incomplete explanation for the achievement gap. In 2025–2026 MAAP results, LT Taylor averaged about 47% proficient in ELA and 45% in math across grades 3–6, compared to district averages of roughly 59% and 56%, respectively. The gap is starkest when compared to district peers: Benndale Elementary (84th percentile) averages 64.5% in ELA and 61.5% in math, Rocky Creek Elementary (81st percentile) averages 67.4% and 58.0%, and Central Elementary (76th percentile) averages 60.3% and 62.2%. The differences are especially dramatic in 4th grade math, where LT Taylor's 37.4% proficiency lags far behind Central's 83.3%.

One of the most actionable concerns is chronic absenteeism, which reached 32.0% in 2023–2024 — nearly 8 points above the state rate and higher than every nearby school in the district. That number has nearly doubled since 2018–2019, and given the strong link between attendance and achievement, reducing chronic absenteeism may be the most important lever for improvement. There are bright spots: 6th grade math proficiency (59.5%) exceeded both district and state averages, and 5th grade science (71.6%) matched the state average. LT Taylor has also ranked in the 74th percentile (4 stars) as recently as 2015–2016, showing that this school is capable of performing much better than it currently does.