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Vancleave Upper Elementary

Public Grades 4-5

19^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Vancleave Upper Elementary is a grades 4–5 school in Vancleave, MS, serving 333 students in the Jackson County School District, and is one of the highest-performing elementary schools in Mississippi, ranking 19th out of 377 schools statewide with a 5-star rating. The school has been on a remarkable upward trajectory, moving from 68th in 2022–2023 to 27th, and now 19th in the most recent rankings. This put it in the 95th percentile of all Mississippi elementary schools, and it has clearly become a standout even within a district that is itself ranked 2nd in the state.

What makes this success notable is that the school serves a moderate-poverty population, with about 62% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. Yet it dramatically outpaces its closest same-grade comparison school, St. Martin Upper Elementary, by double digits in nearly every subject. In 5th grade math, Vancleave Upper posts 83.2% proficiency, an astonishing 23.5 points higher than St. Martin Upper, and in 4th grade ELA the gap is 12.1 points. The school is also far ahead of lower-performing nearby schools like Escatawpa Upper Elementary, where 4th grade math proficiency is just 22.3% compared to Vancleave Upper's 72.1%. Even compared to wealthier Ocean Springs School District schools, Vancleave Upper's 5th grade scores rival or exceed those schools' 3rd grade scores.

Academically, the school is especially strong in STEM: 5th grade science has held steady above 86% proficiency for three years, and 5th grade math exceeds the state average by nearly 34 points. English Language Arts is also strong, with 4th and 5th grade proficiency above 72%, both more than 20 points over the state. Attendance has improved dramatically, dropping from 29.7% chronic absenteeism in 2021–2022 to 15.9% recently, better than both district and state averages. Students also appear to show strong growth during their two years here: Vancleave Lower Elementary feeds into the school with roughly 60% proficiency in 3rd grade, and by 4th grade scores jump to 72–73%. With a reasonable student-teacher ratio of 16.2:1 and clear momentum, Vancleave Upper Elementary is a school on the rise.

333

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,140

Per pupil spending ?

61.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13901 Hwy 57
Vancleave, MS 39565

(228) 283-3838

District: Jackson County School District

Students who attend Vancleave Upper Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Vancleave Middle School
High:	Vancleave High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.4%

Hispanic:

6.6%

Two or more races:

6.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 86th percentile in 2016 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (78% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of Mississippi elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school78%

District avg71%

Mississippi avg56%

19^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to top 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Jackson County School District

2^nd of 133Jackson 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	91.9	19 of 377	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	89.6	27 of 383	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	84.0	48 of 390	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	68 of 377	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	84.7	45 of 382	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	80.1	73 of 381	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	74 of 397	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	48 of 404	88.1%	★★★★☆
2017	85.4	40 of 406	90.1%	★★★★★
2016	82.3	55 of 394	86.0%	★★★★☆
2015	83.8	49 of 402	87.8%	★★★★☆
2014	77.3	69 of 394	82.5%	★★★★☆
2013	73.1	104 of 408	74.5%	★★★★☆
2012	66.3	137 of 414	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.2	110 of 418	73.7%	★★★★☆
2010	64.1	143 of 403	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	83.9	46 of 392	88.3%	★★★★☆
2008	86.7	29 of 394	92.6%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science86%+15 vs state

Mathematics78%+27 vs state

English Language Arts75%+21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vancleave Upper 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
Vancleave Upper Elementary	Public	4-5	13901 Hwy 57	Vancleave	39565	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3838	333	20	16.2	61.6%	281 (84.4%)	7 (2.1%)	22 (6.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.3%)	91.9	19^th of 377 public elementary schools	95.0%		89.6	27^th of 383 public elementary schools	93.0%	8		72.8	76.5		72.1	83.2	86.1	$11,140
Vancleave Lower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	12602 Hwy 57	Vancleave	39565	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3900	686	40	17.1	59.6%	583 (85.0%)	20 (2.9%)	42 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.8%)								(n/a)	57.8			59.5				$9,861
Martin Bluff	Public	PK, KG-4	1306 Roy's Road	Gautier	39553	Jackson County	Pascagoula-Gautier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 522-8850	410	30	13.8	71.7%	153 (37.3%)	139 (33.9%)	70 (17.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (10.7%)	63.4	134^th of 377 public elementary schools	64.5%		56.4	169^th of 383 public elementary schools	55.9%	35	55.5	62.2		49.4	48.5			$14,086
St. Martin Upper Elementary	Public	4-5	11000 YellowJacket Blvd	Ocean Springs	39564	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3555	600	38	15.7	65.5%	356 (59.3%)	87 (14.5%)	65 (10.8%)	37 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (8.8%)	74.1	91^st of 377 public elementary schools	75.9%		65.4	131^st of 383 public elementary schools	65.8%	40		60.7	63.7		61.4	59.7	76.3	$9,559
St. Martin East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	7508 Rose Farm Road	Ocean Springs	39564	Jackson County	Jackson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 283-3570	704	41	17.1	60.1%	431 (61.2%)	99 (14.1%)	62 (8.8%)	35 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (10.9%)								(n/a)	68.3			67.3				$9,746
Pecan Park Elementary	Public	K-3	504 Hanley Rd	Ocean Springs	39564	Jackson County	Ocean Springs School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 875-2851	486	36	13.3	29.8%	303 (62.3%)	64 (13.2%)	58 (11.9%)	10 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (10.1%)								(n/a)	71.1			67.0				$12,296
Escatawpa Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	4208 Jamestown Road	Moss Point	39563	Jackson County	Moss Point School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 474-3300	342	26	13.3	100.0%	61 (17.8%)	218 (63.7%)	41 (12.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	13.6	337^th of 377 public elementary schools	10.6%		22.7	314^th of 383 public elementary schools	18.0%	23	27.4	33.4	41.9	16.2	22.3	31.2	46.3	$19,389
Magnolia Park Elementary	Public	K-3	3500 Government St	Ocean Springs	39564	Jackson County	Ocean Springs School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 875-4263	613	43	14.2	29.7%	419 (68.4%)	70 (11.4%)	56 (9.1%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (9.8%)								(n/a)	78.0			78.6				$10,655
College Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	2617 Ladnier Rd	Gautier	39553	Jackson County	Pascagoula-Gautier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 522-8829	303	23	13.4	73.6%	124 (40.9%)	84 (27.7%)	78 (25.7%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.3%)	56.9	156^th of 377 public elementary schools	58.6%		35.3	260^th of 383 public elementary schools	32.1%	104	42.3	65.3		40.4	55.8			$13,839
Oak Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	2230 Government St	Ocean Springs	39564	Jackson County	Ocean Springs School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 875-5847	467	37	12.7	25.9%	349 (74.7%)	40 (8.6%)	31 (6.6%)	11 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.5%)								(n/a)	76.6			83.2				$12,959

Frequently Asked Questions about Vancleave Upper Elementary

Is Vancleave Upper Elementary a good school?

Yes. Vancleave Upper Elementary ranks in the top 5.0% of Mississippi elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Vancleave Upper Elementary attend?

Students who attend Vancleave Upper Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Vancleave Middle School
High : Vancleave High School

What is the racial makeup of Vancleave Upper Elementary?

Students at Vancleave Upper Elementary are 84% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Vancleave Upper Elementary in?

Jackson County School District

How many students attend Vancleave Upper Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 333 students attended Vancleave Upper 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.