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Central Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

305^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a PK–5 school in Gulfport, MS, serving 482 students in the Gulfport School District, a 4-star district ranked 37th out of 134 in Mississippi, where 99.4% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school currently holds a 1-star state rating and ranked 305th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools in the 2025-26 school year, placing it in the 19th percentile. This is a notable decline from a decade ago, when the school earned 3 stars and ranked in the 55th percentile. Every other elementary school in the Gulfport School District outperforms Central in state rankings. For comparison, Bayou View Elementary is ranked #1 in the state, Pass Road Elementary and West Elementary each earn 3 stars, and even the next-lowest school, 28th Street Elementary, ranks 214th. Central is the lowest-ranked elementary school in the district and sits in the bottom fifth statewide.

Central's most persistent challenges are low math and early-grade reading proficiency, plus very high chronic absenteeism. At 32.3%, Central has the highest chronic absenteeism rate among nearby schools—more than double the district rate of 21.5% and far above Bayou View Elementary's 7.2%. Test scores trail the district and state by 20–30 points in several subjects: 3rd grade ELA proficiency is 25.7% versus 55.5% in the district, and 5th grade math is 24.3% versus 45.2% in the district. That said, there are signs of possibility. Fifth grade science proficiency reached 61.4%, a strong improvement from 37.3% two years earlier. The school also has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.7, meaning class sizes are not the obstacle. Given that Bayou View—a school with identical poverty levels—ranks #1 in the state, the data suggest Central's challenges are not inevitable, and reducing chronic absenteeism is likely the highest-leverage opportunity.

482

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,171

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1043 Pass Road
Gulfport, MS 39501

(228) 865-4642

District: Gulfport School District

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gulfport Central Middle
High:	Gulfport High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

57.3%

Hispanic:

16.8%

White:

16.6%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (37% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 24% Mississippi)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg60%

Mississippi avg54%

305^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Gulfport School District

37^th of 134Gulfport 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	23.9	305 of 377	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.7	295 of 383	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	313 of 390	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	290 of 377	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.8	225 of 382	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.7	230 of 381	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	203 of 397	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.9	181 of 404	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	32.9	283 of 406	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.5	276 of 394	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.7	271 of 402	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	30.3	317 of 414	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	47.9	230 of 418	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.2	246 of 403	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.3	201 of 392	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.4	241 of 394	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science61%-10 vs state

English Language Arts38%-14 vs state

Mathematics28%-22 vs state

4.9

11 ratings · 11 written reviews

5★10

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, April 12, 2013

The Gulfport School District makes decisions based on what is best for children. We inspire students to become productive citizens and life long learners. What a great school district for students to attend when the attention is placed on their success. Close Quote

by a teacher
Thursday, April 11, 2013

The data that is on this website is misleading. The teachers and the students work so hard at succeeding. I am a teacher here and I know my students are more prepared for the next grade more than they have ever been! Common Core is a new and tough Curriculum and I think our students are doing amazing jobs! Do NOT let this data get in the way of sending your child here! Ask anyone and they will tell you the wonderful things that are going on at Central Elementary! Go Pirates!!! Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, April 11, 2013

These teachers work tirelessly to ensure that their students are receiving the appropriate instruction and learning what they need in order to be successful. They tend to the physical, mental, and social needs of their students without asking any questions and love their children unconditionally. Close Quote

by a teacher
Thursday, April 11, 2013

Central Elementary has a great learning environment for all students. The teachers and staff work really hard to help each student strive to be the best they can be. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, April 11, 2013

I work at central elementary and I love the kids and every part of my job from ordering food to serving and also working with the staff. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, April 11, 2013

I work at this school and love interacting with the children and staff. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, April 11, 2013

I am employed in the cafeteria at this school and I love my job because I enjoy the children. Close Quote

by a teacher
Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Gulfport schools have been blazing the trail for the state of MS by being the only school district in the state to fully implement the Common Core State Standards on behalf of the state department of ed. The teachers have received statewide and local notoriety for their efforts. Two members of the instructional department were selected to serve on the state's national PARCC team. Our district is progressive; for example, all 9th-10th grade students have been provided en e-reader to lighten the load of the book bags. Other technological advances are being made available to our teachers, students, and principals. All core classes have interactive whiteboards. We have redesigned our high school to give students career-based opportunities and early college experience during their junior and senior years. The arts are important to developing a well-rounded student. Our music programs (band, choir, and strings) are among the best in the country and world! How do I know? We continue to win sweepstakes awards each year and have been invited to Disney and Germany to showcase our talents! Athletics? We are the home of state champions in soccer, basketball, and weight lifting. Our Marine ROTC teaches leadership and continues to win state and regional competitions as well. We hold ourselves and our students to high levels of excellence. Gulfport is a great education destination!

SN: Those of us who work for the district may bring our children with us if we live out of district. I'm proud to say, we chose GSD. Best decision we could have made. My children's feeder pattern: West-Gulfport Central Middle-Gulfport High led my sons to honors programs and academic scholarships. This school is no exception! High standards coupled with hard work leads to a successful child. Close Quote

by a citizen
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

This school adheres to all the strict requirements of the USDA when preparing/serving their meals. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

This school has some great teachers! Close Quote

by a teacher
Tuesday, April 9, 2013

In 2011, the Mississippi Department of Education selected the Gulfport School District as one of three school districts to participate in a pilot program called Excellence for All. As part of this program, selected school districts were given the opportunity to develop innovative programs for their students that would prepare them to compete on a national and global setting in the core subjects as well as improve students' career and college readiness. Due to a major shift from Mississippi Curriculum Standards to Common Core State Standards, the data on this site does not reflect this shift. Please see the Gulfport School District's website to see actual testing information for the Gulfport School District. (You may also sign up to follow us on Twitter.)

A highly functional school district, the District's selection as a pilot program represents the progressive and passionate commitment to be internationally competitive as the community and district work to meet the mission of the Gulfport School District.

The mission of the Gulfport School District is to inspire each student to become a problem solver, lifelong learner, and productive member of society. Close Quote

Schools Near Central Elementary

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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	Public	PK, KG-5	1043 Pass Road	Gulfport	39501	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 865-4642	482	38	12.7	99.4%	80 (16.6%)	276 (57.3%)	81 (16.8%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.1%)	23.9	305^th of 377 public elementary schools	19.1%		26.7	295^th of 383 public elementary schools	23.0%	10	25.7	38.9	51.4				28.4	32.4	24.3				61.4		$10,171
Pass Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	37 Pass Road	Gulfport	39507	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 865-4659	377	28	13.6	99.7%	78 (20.7%)	224 (59.4%)	56 (14.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.8%)	60	147^th of 377 public elementary schools	61.0%		55.7	171^st of 383 public elementary schools	55.4%	24	52.3	60.0	57.3				60.3	54.0	39.7				70.6		$12,039
Bayou View Elementary	Public	K-5	4898 Washington Avenue	Gulfport	39507	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 865-4625	638	38	16.7	100.0%	480 (75.2%)	81 (12.7%)	35 (5.5%)	17 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.8%)	97.5	1^st of 377 public elementary schools	99.7%		97.1	1^st of 383 public elementary schools	99.7%		90.3	88.5	92.7				92.9	87.5	76.3				93.7		$9,723
North Gulfport Elementary and Middle	Public	K-8	4715 Illinois Avenue	Gulfport	39501	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 864-8944	921	70	13.0	99.3%	110 (11.9%)	682 (74.0%)	74 (8.0%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	43 (4.7%)	14.1	333^rd of 377 public elementary schools	11.7%		18.2	336^th of 383 public elementary schools	12.3%	3	25.0	35.1	40.4	36.6	32.5	33.6	17.5	22.8	21.4	31.0	40.5	24.3	35.7	43.4	$10,692
West Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4051 15th Street	Gulfport	39501	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 870-1025	492	34	14.5	98.6%	49 (10.0%)	363 (73.8%)	48 (9.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	25 (5.1%)	59	151^st of 377 public elementary schools	59.9%		56.9	168^th of 383 public elementary schools	56.1%	17	52.7	64.0	58.2				50.7	69.3	20.0				61.9		$11,859
28th Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3034 46th Avenue	Gulfport	39501	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 867-2140	359	25	14.4	99.4%	22 (6.1%)	277 (77.2%)	28 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.6%)	44.2	214^th of 377 public elementary schools	43.2%		32.9	267^th of 383 public elementary schools	30.3%	53	38.9	62.2	46.8				46.3	44.4	41.3				63.0		$11,297
Anniston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2314 Jones Street	Gulfport	39507	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 896-6309	482	32	15.1	99.8%	168 (34.9%)	171 (35.5%)	97 (20.1%)	9 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.3%)	56.6	157^th of 377 public elementary schools	58.4%		69.5	110^th of 383 public elementary schools	71.3%	47	49.3	52.3	65.6				53.6	44.6	45.2				67.8		$12,100
Crossroads Elementary	Public	K-6	10453 Klein Road	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 832-6711	547	33	16.5	99.1%	74 (13.5%)	387 (70.7%)	78 (14.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	43.9	217^th of 377 public elementary schools	42.4%		49	195^th of 383 public elementary schools	49.1%	22	44.1	35.3	51.2	53.7			28.8	39.1	22.2	74.1			80.0		$11,781
Bel-Aire Elementary	Public	K-6	10531 Klein Rd	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 832-7436	598	38	15.8	98.5%	108 (18.1%)	387 (64.7%)	97 (16.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34.7	250^th of 377 public elementary schools	33.7%		49.5	193^rd of 383 public elementary schools	49.6%	57	41.0	44.8	43.4	47.1			33.3	28.7	21.7	48.6			72.4		$10,835
Harrison Central Elementary	Public	K-3	15451 Dedeaux Road	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 832-2701	465	27	16.9	76.3%	180 (38.7%)	188 (40.4%)	47 (10.1%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	38 (8.2%)								(n/a)	73.1						71.6								$11,248

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 482 students attended Central Elementary.

What district is Central Elementary in?

Gulfport School District

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gulfport Central Middle
High : Gulfport High School

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.1% of Mississippi elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 57% African American, 17% Hispanic, 17% White, 8% Two or more races.

Rate Central Elementary!

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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.