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Neshoba Central Elementary School

Q: Is Neshoba Central Elementary School a good school?

Neshoba Central Elementary School ranks 44 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

44^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Neshoba Central Elementary School is a large PK–5 elementary school in Philadelphia, Mississippi, serving 1,419 students and ranked in the top 12% of elementary schools statewide. It belongs to the Neshoba County Schools district, which ranks 3rd out of 134 districts in Mississippi with a 5-star rating. The school itself holds a 4-star rating and ranks 44th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools (88th percentile). About 67.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet academic performance consistently exceeds state averages across every subject and grade level tested.

On the 2025–2026 MAAP assessments, fourth-grade math proficiency reached 73.5%—22 percentage points above the state—and fifth-grade science proficiency hit 84%. The contrast with Philadelphia Elementary School, just 1.45 miles away, is dramatic: third-grade math is 67.8% vs. 27.6%, and third-grade ELA is 65.2% vs. 32.8%. Two schools in the same town, serving similar populations, with vastly different results—a sign that school leadership and culture matter enormously. Meanwhile, Union Elementary School posts comparable third-grade scores but drops off sharply by fourth grade.

Neshoba Central wasn't always a standout. A decade ago it ranked in the 55th percentile; it now consistently lands in the top 12% of Mississippi elementary schools. The school has also cut chronic absenteeism from 31.9% in 2021–2022 to 18.6% in 2023–2024—below both district and state averages. It achieves these results with a student–teacher ratio of 16.3, much higher than nearby Pearl River Elementary School (8.7), Bogue Chitto Elementary School (6.7), and Tucker Elementary School (6.1). For parents, the bottom line is a large school in a top-ranked district that has sustained strong outcomes through deliberate, long-term improvement.

1,419

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,175

Per pupil spending ?

67.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1002 St Francis Drive
Philadelphia, MS 39350

(601) 656-2182

District: Neshoba County Schools

Students who attend Neshoba Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Neshoba Central Middle School
High:	Neshoba Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.0%

Two or more races:

16.2%

African American:

16.1%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Neshoba Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 55th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (70% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Mississippi elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 33 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg70%

Mississippi avg54%

44^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 33 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 133Neshoba County 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	84.1	44 of 377	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	69 of 383	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	82.8	50 of 390	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	42 of 377	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	81.5	60 of 382	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	87.1	33 of 381	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	76.0	83 of 397	79.1%	★★★★☆
2018	76.9	77 of 404	80.9%	★★★★☆
2017	54.0	175 of 406	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.3	177 of 394	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	33.8	263 of 402	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.6	141 of 394	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.9	213 of 408	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.7	162 of 414	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	63.3	157 of 418	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.0	151 of 403	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.5	152 of 392	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.9	125 of 394	68.3%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science84%+12 vs state

Mathematics70%+20 vs state

English Language Arts65%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Neshoba Central Elementary School

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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 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
Neshoba Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1002 St Francis Drive	Philadelphia	39350	Neshoba County	Neshoba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 656-2182	1,419	87	16.3	67.5%	837 (59.0%)	229 (16.1%)	32 (2.3%)	6 (0.4%)	85 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	230 (16.2%)	84.1	44^th of 377 public elementary schools	88.3%		77.8	69^th of 383 public elementary schools	82.0%	25	65.2	67.1	61.2		67.8	73.5	68.9		84.0	$9,175
Philadelphia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	406 Stribling Street	Philadelphia	39350	Neshoba County	Philadelphia Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 656-1623	430	32	13.3	100.0%	37 (8.6%)	349 (81.2%)	11 (2.6%)	10 (2.3%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.4%)	31.2	271^st of 377 public elementary schools	28.1%		32	268^th of 383 public elementary schools	30.0%	3	32.8	32.6	49.0	37.2	27.6	23.3	37.7	48.6	75.5	$13,061
Tucker Elementary School	Public	K-8	126 East Tucker Circle	Philadelphia	39350	Neshoba County	Tucker Elementary School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(601) 656-8775	119	19	6.1	97.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	119 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Pearl River Elementary School	Public	K-6	470 Industrial Road	Choctaw	39350	Neshoba County	Pearl River Elementary School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(601) 656-9051	413	47	8.7	99.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	413 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bogue Chitto Elementary School	Public	K-8	13241 Hwy 491 North	Philadelphia	39350	Neshoba County	Bogue Chitto Elementary School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(601) 389-1000	177	26	6.7	98.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	177 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Union Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	101 Forest Street	Union	39365	Neshoba County	Union Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 774-8257	410	28	14.9	99.3%	288 (70.2%)	98 (23.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.6%)	62.3	141^st of 377 public elementary schools	62.6%		67.7	123^rd of 383 public elementary schools	67.9%	18	67.6	44.0			67.2	44.0				$9,393

Frequently Asked Questions about Neshoba Central Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Neshoba Central Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Neshoba Central Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Neshoba Central Middle School
High : Neshoba Central High School

What district is Neshoba Central Elementary School in?

Neshoba County Schools

Is Neshoba Central Elementary School a good school?

Neshoba Central Elementary School ranks 44^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Neshoba Central Elementary School?

Students at Neshoba Central Elementary School are 59% White, 16% Two or more races, 16% African American, 6% American Indian, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Neshoba Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,419 students attended Neshoba Central Elementary School.

Rate Neshoba Central Elementary School!

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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.