Hazlehurst Elementary

Hazlehurst Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, part of the Hazlehurst City School District. With 615 students, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Mississippi elementary schools, earning a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hazlehurst Elementary faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 23.9% to 40.8% over the past few years, well above the state average. The school's test scores on the MAAP assessments are also consistently well below state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with projected 2024-2025 proficiency rates ranging from 27.9% to 46.7%, compared to state averages of 48.3% to 66.3%. Additionally, Hazlehurst Elementary has an extremely high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 99.56% to 100%, indicating a very high-poverty student population.

When compared to nearby schools like Brookhaven Elementary and Simpson Central School, Hazlehurst Elementary is performing significantly worse across key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism. This persistent low performance suggests deep-rooted challenges that the school and Hazlehurst City School District have struggled to address, and improving student attendance and addressing the needs of the high-poverty student population should be critical priorities.