Vancleave Upper Elementary

Vancleave Upper Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades 4-5 in Vancleave, Mississippi, part of the Jackson County School District, which is ranked 6th out of 130 school districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. With 345 students, Vancleave Upper Elementary has consistently been ranked among the top elementary schools in Mississippi over the past several years, currently ranking 27th out of 383 elementary schools statewide.

Vancleave Upper Elementary excels academically, consistently outperforming the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. In 2024-2025, the school had 67.1% of 4th graders and 72.6% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 52.1% and 55.9% statewide, respectively. In mathematics, 79.9% of 4th graders and 73.3% of 5th graders were proficient or better, compared to 56.6% and 48.3% statewide. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate of 87.9% was also significantly higher than the state average of 66.3%. However, Vancleave Upper Elementary has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state and district averages, ranging from 15.9% to 23.9% over the past few years, an area the school may want to focus on to improve student attendance and engagement.

Compared to nearby schools, Vancleave Upper Elementary outperforms St. Martin Upper Elementary School in test scores across all subjects and grade levels. However, St. Martin Upper Elementary has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, which may indicate that Vancleave Upper Elementary serves a more advantaged student population. Overall, Vancleave Upper Elementary's consistent high performance and strong academic outcomes suggest the school is providing a quality education to its students, though it may need to address chronic absenteeism and support for economically disadvantaged students to further enhance its already impressive results.