Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

South Hancock Elementary School

Q: Is South Hancock Elementary School a good school?

South Hancock Elementary School ranks 144 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

144^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

South Hancock Elementary School serves roughly 480 students in grades PK–5 at 6590 Lakeshore Road in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, and is part of the top-ranked Hancock School District, which ranks 9th out of 134 districts in the state.

Despite being in one of Mississippi's best districts, South Hancock is the lowest-performing elementary within it — ranked 143rd out of 377 elementary schools (62nd percentile, 3 stars). The most striking pattern is a dramatic academic drop-off between grade levels. In 2025–2026, its 3rd graders posted excellent proficiency rates of 75.7% in reading and 83.3% in math, both well above state averages and competitive with the best nearby schools. But by 4th grade, reading proficiency fell to 53.6% and math plummeted to 38.1% — a staggering 32.6 percentage points below the district average. By 5th grade, reading was 45.6% and math 43.1%. This decline is consistent across multiple cohorts, indicating a systemic issue. In contrast, nearby East Hancock Elementary School remained strong in upper grades, and DeLisle Elementary School improved as students aged.

South Hancock faces real challenges: 73.75% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 27.7% were chronically absent in 2023–2024 — far higher than Hancock North Central School (18.7%) and East Hancock (17.9%). The school does have a lower student–teacher ratio (12.4) than most peers, and its excellent 3rd grade results show that early-grade instruction is a genuine strength worth replicating. Applying that successful model to 4th and 5th grades — while tackling the attendance problem head-on — would likely lift the school's overall performance significantly.

480

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,776

Per pupil spending ?

73.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6590 Lakeshore Road
Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520

(228) 467-4655

District: Hancock School District

Students who attend South Hancock Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Hancock Middle School
High:	Hancock High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.4%

African American:

18.1%

Two or more races:

9.4%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare South Hancock Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (60% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Mississippi median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Hancock School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg75%

Mississippi avg54%

144^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Hancock School District

9^th of 133Hancock 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	61.8	144 of 377	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.9	170 of 380	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	151 of 380	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	167 of 358	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.8	156 of 355	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	163 of 352	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	145 of 354	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.1	236 of 351	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.5	205 of 406	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.5	197 of 394	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	36.6	250 of 402	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	34.3	282 of 394	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.3	256 of 408	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.9	218 of 414	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.9	256 of 418	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.1	232 of 403	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	35.3	273 of 392	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.6	235 of 394	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science81%+10 vs state

English Language Arts58%+6 vs state

Mathematics54%+4 vs state

1.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate South Hancock Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near South Hancock Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
South Hancock Elementary School	Public	K-5	6590 Lakeshore Road	Bay Saint Louis	39520	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 467-4655	480	40	12.4	73.8%	309 (64.4%)	87 (18.1%)	28 (5.8%)	4 (0.8%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.4%)	61.8	144^th of 377 public elementary schools	61.8%		55.9	170^th of 380 public elementary schools	55.3%	26	75.7	53.6	45.6		83.3	38.1	43.1		81.0	$11,776
Waveland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1101 St Joseph Street	Waveland	39576	Hancock County	Bay Waveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 467-6630	460	24	19.4	69.8%	272 (59.1%)	108 (23.5%)	28 (6.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (10.4%)								(n/a)										$16,395
North Bay Elementary	Public	3-5	602 Pine St.	Bay St Louis	39520	Hancock County	Bay Waveland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 467-4052	348	23	14.8	67.2%	224 (64.4%)	81 (23.3%)	19 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.9%)	86	36^th of 377 public elementary schools	90.5%		81.2	61^st of 380 public elementary schools	83.9%	25	70.5	66.7	73.4		68.1	61.0	81.9		81.7	$13,205
East Hancock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4221 Kiln Delisle Rd.	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-8372	633	30	20.7	48.5%	549 (86.7%)	17 (2.7%)	32 (5.1%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.6%)	96.7	3^rd of 377 public elementary schools	99.2%		91.8	18^th of 380 public elementary schools	95.3%	15	74.7	76.6	83.9		86.8	91.8	87.5		93.7	$11,019
Pass Christian Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	270 W. Second Street	Pass Christian	39571	Harrison County	Pass Christian School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 452-5200	378	28	13.7	72.8%	147 (38.9%)	145 (38.4%)	29 (7.7%)	7 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (13.0%)	84.1	46^th of 377 public elementary schools	87.8%		75.2	81^st of 380 public elementary schools	78.7%	35	63.1	72.1	66.7		61.5	64.0	72.2		84.7	$14,690
Delisle Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6303 W. Wittmann Road	Pass Christian	39571	Harrison County	Pass Christian School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-6219	400	29	13.5	58.0%	291 (72.8%)	57 (14.3%)	12 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (9.8%)	82.1	52^nd of 377 public elementary schools	86.2%		80.3	63^rd of 380 public elementary schools	83.4%	11	54.4	73.2	75.4		44.9	71.8	73.8		95.4	$13,569
Pineville Elementary	Public	K-6	5192 Menge Ave	Pass Christian	39571	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 452-4364	157	11	13.8	98.1%	88 (56.1%)	31 (19.7%)	19 (12.1%)	4 (2.5%)	4 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.0%)	81.3	58^th of 377 public elementary schools	84.6%		87	36^th of 380 public elementary schools	90.5%	22	57.1	57.9	70.0	80.0	42.8	57.9	70.0	86.7	90.0	$13,382
Hancock North Central School	Public	K-5	6122 Cuevas Town Road	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-7641	404	29	13.9	69.8%	380 (94.1%)	6 (1.5%)	11 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	93.3	13^th of 377 public elementary schools	96.6%		83.7	50^th of 380 public elementary schools	86.8%	37	69.6	71.4	75.9		83.9	81.4	73.7		93.1	$12,517
Reeves Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	214 St Augustine Drive	Long Beach	39560	Harrison County	Long Beach School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 864-9764	453	32	14.0	57.8%	295 (65.1%)	69 (15.2%)	15 (3.3%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (14.8%)								(n/a)	67.6				71.6					$11,009
West Hancock Elementary	Public	K-5	23350 Highway 43	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 586-6054	349	26	13.4	75.1%	305 (87.4%)	13 (3.7%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	89.3	29^th of 377 public elementary schools	92.3%		73.3	91^st of 380 public elementary schools	76.1%	62	69.1	61.2	78.7		69.1	69.4	72.2		96.7	$13,554

Frequently Asked Questions about South Hancock Elementary School

How many students attend South Hancock Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 480 students attended South Hancock Elementary School.

Is South Hancock Elementary School a good school?

South Hancock Elementary School ranks 144^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Hancock Elementary School?

Students at South Hancock Elementary School are 64% White, 18% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

What district is South Hancock Elementary School in?

Hancock School District

What schools do graduates of South Hancock Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Hancock Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hancock Middle School
High : Hancock High School

Rate South Hancock Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MSMississippi Elementary School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Bay Saint Louis, MS

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Hancock Elementary School!

Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

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.