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Benndale Elementary School

Q: Is Benndale Elementary School a good school?

Benndale Elementary School ranks 60 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

60^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Benndale Elementary School is a small, rural PK-6 school in Lucedale, Mississippi, serving 138 students and belonging to the George County School District. What makes Benndale stand out is its remarkable recent climb: after sitting at the 25th percentile statewide in 2018–2019, the school jumped to the 84th percentile in 2025–2026, ranking 60th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools with a 4-star rating — the highest-ranked elementary school in its district.

Benndale outperforms nearly all of its neighbors despite serving a higher-need population. Its 72.5% free/reduced lunch rate is higher than Rocky Creek Elementary School and Agricola Elementary School, yet it outranks both, as well as Central Elementary School and LT Taylor Intermediate School. It even outranks Stone Elementary School, which comes from the higher-rated Stone County School District, and is far ahead of Mclain Attendance Center in Greene County Schools. Academically, Benndale beats the state in 8 of 9 subject/grade combinations. Its 5th grade science proficiency is an outstanding 94.1% — 22.6 points above the state — and its 3rd grade ELA and math scores are roughly 24 and 20 points above state averages. The 5th grade math improvement is dramatic, jumping from just 10% proficiency in 2023–2024 to 70.5% in 2025–2026.

A couple of areas are worth watching, though. Fourth grade math is the one subject where Benndale falls below the state (45.5% vs. 51.5%), and chronic absenteeism is elevated at 28.5% — nearly 5 points above the state average. On the plus side, the school offers an excellent 9.7:1 student-teacher ratio, far better than nearby Stone Elementary School (18.7:1), meaning students get a lot of individual attention. Keep in mind that with only 20–25 students per grade, test scores can swing from year to year based on the particular group of kids in each class. Overall, Benndale is a small school achieving big results for its students.

138

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,759

Per pupil spending ?

72.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5204 Hwy 26 West
Lucedale, MS 39452

(601) 766-6341

District: George County School District

Students who attend Benndale Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.9%

African American:

17.4%

Two or more races:

6.5%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Benndale Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (68% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Mississippi elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg60%

Mississippi avg53%

60^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From top 37% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	80.5	60 of 377	84.1%	★★★★☆
2025	67.7	122 of 383	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	183 of 390	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	136 of 377	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	144 of 382	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	135 of 381	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.7	299 of 397	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	273 of 404	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.9	237 of 406	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	63.2	146 of 394	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.2	112 of 402	72.1%	★★★★☆
2014	67.3	121 of 394	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.5	215 of 408	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.6	280 of 414	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.6	321 of 418	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.4	262 of 403	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.9	220 of 392	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.6	251 of 394	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science94%+23 vs state

English Language Arts65%+14 vs state

Mathematics63%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Benndale 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
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
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
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
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
Stone Elementary School	Public	K-5	1652 East Central Ave	Wiggins	39577	Stone County	Stone County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 928-5473	714	38	18.7	68.3%	466 (65.3%)	180 (25.2%)	12 (1.7%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.0%)	72.5	97^th of 377 public elementary schools	74.3%		81.5	60^th of 383 public elementary schools	84.3%	37	60.0	58.7	59.7				80.7	46.3	71.7				73.5		$9,541

Frequently Asked Questions about Benndale Elementary School

Is Benndale Elementary School a good school?

Benndale Elementary School ranks 60^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Benndale Elementary School attend?

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

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

How many students attend Benndale Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 138 students attended Benndale Elementary School.

What district is Benndale Elementary School in?

George County School District

What is the racial makeup of Benndale Elementary School?

Students at Benndale Elementary School are 74% White, 17% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

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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.