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Poplar Springs Elementary

Public Grades K-5

302^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Poplar Springs Elementary is a K-5 school in Meridian, Mississippi, serving 405 students and operating within the Meridian Public Schools district. The school serves a student body where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — a high-poverty setting — yet it stands out for its strong attendance and its performance relative to its district peers.

One of the school’s biggest strengths is exceptionally low chronic absenteeism. In 2023–2024, Poplar Springs posted a chronic absenteeism rate of 13.3%, far better than the district average of 32.8% and the state average of 23.9%. Only nearby Enterprise Elementary had a comparable rate (13.1%); other district schools such as West Hills Elementary (16.9%), Carver Elementary (28.1%), and Crestwood Elementary (28.5%) were all higher. Poplar Springs also consistently outperforms the Meridian Public district average in most subjects and grades, with the highest 3rd and 4th grade ELA and math scores among the district’s elementary schools in the latest testing year.

However, real challenges remain. The school’s state ranking has declined sharply over the past decade, falling from the 77th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 20th percentile in 2025–2026. A consistent red flag is 5th grade math, where Poplar Springs has scored below the district average for multiple years. Nearby county schools such as Clarkdale Elementary School, West Lauderdale Elementary School, and Enterprise Elementary serve far fewer students in poverty and post much higher test scores; even Northeast Elementary outperforms Poplar Springs in some subjects. Still, given that Poplar Springs achieves better-than-district results while serving 100% economically disadvantaged students, and given its exceptional attendance record, the school has a strong foundation to build on. Its low absenteeism suggests engaged families and students who are ready to learn — an asset the school can leverage to close the 5th grade math gap and reverse its long-term ranking decline.

405

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,692

Per pupil spending ?

37.0%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

4101 27th Ave
Meridian, MS 39305

(601) 484-4450

District: Meridian Public Schools

Students who attend Poplar Springs Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Middle School
High:	Meridian High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

83.7%

White:

7.9%

Two or more races:

4.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (38% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 57 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg32%

Mississippi avg54%

302^nd of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 58 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the Meridian Public Schools

120^th of 133Meridian Public Schools 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	24.6	302 of 377	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.6	268 of 380	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	236 of 380	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	270 of 358	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	254 of 355	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	226 of 352	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	138 of 354	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.3	172 of 351	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	74.4	89 of 406	78.1%	★★★★☆
2016	73.0	89 of 394	77.4%	★★★★☆
2015	88.0	34 of 402	91.5%	★★★★★
2014	88.4	25 of 394	93.7%	★★★★★
2013	74.4	96 of 408	76.5%	★★★★☆
2012	80.8	60 of 414	85.5%	★★★★☆
2011	88.7	28 of 418	93.3%	★★★★★
2010	76.1	79 of 403	80.4%	★★★★☆
2009	76.4	83 of 392	78.8%	★★★★☆
2008	82.0	56 of 394	85.8%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science59%-12 vs state

English Language Arts40%-12 vs state

Mathematics29%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Poplar Springs 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Poplar Springs Elementary	Public	K-5	4101 27th Ave	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4450	405	28	14.5	—	32 (7.9%)	339 (83.7%)	14 (3.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.4%)	24.6	302^nd of 377 public elementary schools	19.9%		31.6	268^th of 380 public elementary schools	29.5%	34	31.9	40.4	50.0		27.7	34.0	27.8		59.3	$14,692
West Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	4100 32nd St	Meridian	39307	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4472	423	27	15.6	—	4 (0.9%)	385 (91.0%)	16 (3.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	33.3	258^th of 377 public elementary schools	31.6%		27.3	289^th of 380 public elementary schools	23.9%	31	28.0	27.5	62.3		24.4	13.0	44.9		81.2	$13,480
Parkview Elementary	Public	K-5	1225 26th St	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4990	364	29	12.6	—	2 (0.5%)	347 (95.3%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	12.5	343^rd of 377 public elementary schools	9.0%		16.8	336^th of 380 public elementary schools	11.6%	7	19.4	31.6	40.0		13.5	21.1	27.3		56.3	$14,081
Carver Elementary School	Public	K-5	900 44th Ave	Meridian	39307	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(601) 484-4482	506	31	16.3	—	8 (1.6%)	462 (91.3%)	22 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	11.5	351^st of 377 public elementary schools	6.9%		5.4	376^th of 380 public elementary schools	1.1%	25	22.2	24.6	40.3		14.5	24.6	26.3		54.4	$6,880
Northeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	6750 Newell Road	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 485-4882	730	56	13.1	77.8%	209 (28.6%)	443 (60.7%)	37 (5.1%)	12 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (3.7%)	29.3	278^th of 377 public elementary schools	26.3%		40.3	230^th of 380 public elementary schools	39.5%	48	33.3	42.5			21.0	47.3				$11,676
Crestwood Elementary	Public	K-5	730 Crestwood Dr	Meridian	39301	Lauderdale County	Meridian Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 484-4971	368	22	16.3	—	9 (2.4%)	328 (89.1%)	21 (5.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	9.4	361^st of 377 public elementary schools	4.2%		10.4	356^th of 380 public elementary schools	6.3%	5	28.7	26.4	34.4		12.9	15.1	21.3		49.2	$13,837
Southeast Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2362 A Long Creek Road	Meridian	39031	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 486-2500	562	34	16.7	69.4%	363 (64.6%)	166 (29.5%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	54.5	168^th of 377 public elementary schools	55.4%		44.8	212^th of 380 public elementary schools	44.2%	44	50.5	56.1			33.6	57.1				$9,391
West Lauderdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	10350 Highway 495	Meridian	39305	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 737-2279	761	44	17.2	46.1%	580 (76.2%)	119 (15.6%)	32 (4.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.4%)	74.9	83^rd of 377 public elementary schools	78.0%		73.3	92^nd of 380 public elementary schools	75.8%	9	55.8	63.6			52.9	71.3				$9,508
Clarkdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7000 Highway 145	Meridian	39301	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 693-4463	527	36	14.5	45.4%	437 (82.9%)	49 (9.3%)	7 (1.3%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.9%)	90.8	22^nd of 377 public elementary schools	94.2%		87.5	32^nd of 380 public elementary schools	91.6%	10	65.8	79.7	82.5	81.7	60.0	79.7	68.3	77.4	93.7	$9,864
Enterprise Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	103 Short Street	Enterprise	39330	Clarke County	Enterprise	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 659-7613	390	29	13.4	50.0%	346 (88.7%)	18 (4.6%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.4%)	83.1	50^th of 377 public elementary schools	86.7%		88.5	29^th of 380 public elementary schools	92.4%	21	57.8	76.9			59.2	88.5				$10,696

Frequently Asked Questions about Poplar Springs Elementary

What district is Poplar Springs Elementary in?

Meridian Public Schools

Is Poplar Springs Elementary a good school?

Poplar Springs Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.9% of Mississippi elementary schools.

How many students attend Poplar Springs Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 405 students attended Poplar Springs Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Poplar Springs Elementary?

Students at Poplar Springs Elementary are 84% African American, 8% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Poplar Springs Elementary attend?

Students who attend Poplar Springs Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northwest Middle School
High : Meridian High School

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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.