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Petal Elementary 3-4

Q: Is Petal Elementary 3-4 a good school?

Petal Elementary 3-4 ranks 53 rd of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-4

53^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Petal Elementary is a public elementary school in Petal, Mississippi, serving grades 3-4 with a total enrollment of 631 students. The school is part of the Petal School District, which is ranked 4th out of 130 school districts in Mississippi and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Petal Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Mississippi, with a statewide ranking between 9th and 53rd out of over 380 schools in recent years. The school's students have demonstrated strong academic performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics significantly higher than the state averages. However, the school has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.6% in 2020-2021 to 23.9% in 2022-2023, which is an area the school and district should closely monitor and address.

When compared to nearby schools, Petal Primary School, which serves grades PK-2 in the same district, has a lower statewide ranking and higher chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, schools in the Forrest County School District and the Hattiesburg Public School District generally perform below Petal Elementary in terms of academic proficiency and statewide rankings. The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Petal Elementary and many of the nearby schools suggests that these communities face significant economic challenges, which may contribute to the observed differences in academic performance and other metrics.

636

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,680

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1179 Hwy 42 E
Petal, MS 39465

(601) 584-9400

District: Petal School District

Students who attend Petal Elementary 3-4 usually attend:

Middle:	Petal Middle School
	Petal Upper Elementary
High:	Petal High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.6%

African American:

16.0%

Hispanic:

7.7%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Petal Elementary 3-4 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2015 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (70% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of Mississippi elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg70%

Mississippi avg53%

53^rd of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 3% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 130Petal 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
2025	83.1	53 of 383	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.0	49 of 390	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	83.9	44 of 377	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	88.5	28 of 382	92.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.6	9 of 381	97.6%	★★★★★
2019	91.3	20 of 397	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	13 of 404	96.8%	★★★★★
2017	91.4	24 of 406	94.1%	★★★★★
2016	90.6	20 of 394	94.9%	★★★★★
2015	96.6	14 of 402	96.5%	★★★★★
2014	80.8	54 of 394	86.3%	★★★★☆
2013	86.8	34 of 408	91.7%	★★★★★
2012	90.6	28 of 414	93.2%	★★★★★
2011	87.1	34 of 418	91.9%	★★★★★
2010	87.5	34 of 403	91.6%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics76%+21 vs state

English Language Arts63%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Petal Elementary 3-4

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)						MAAP Mathematics (2025)						MAAP Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	Total
Petal Elementary 3-4	Public	3-4	1179 Hwy 42 E	Petal	39465	Forrest County	Petal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 584-9400	636	48	13.3	60.1%	436 (68.6%)	102 (16.0%)	49 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (7.2%)	83.1	53^rd of 383 public elementary schools	86.2%		83	49^th of 390 public elementary schools	87.4%	4	61.4	64.9					74.5	77.6							$10,680
Petal Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	60 Herrington Road	Petal	39465	Forrest County	Petal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 554-7244	1,016	75	13.6	63.7%	678 (66.7%)	193 (19.0%)	90 (8.9%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (4.8%)								(n/a)															$10,067
Runnelstown School	Public	K-5	9214 Highway 42	Petal	39465	Perry County	Perry County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 544-2811	173	17	10.0	75.7%	136 (78.6%)	23 (13.3%)	2 (1.2%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.2%)	35.3	259^th of 383 public elementary schools	32.4%		41.6	235^th of 390 public elementary schools	39.7%	24	38.9	29.2	61.9				50.0	16.7	19.0				71.4		$14,902
Earl Travillion Attendance Center	Public	PK, KG-8	316 Travillion Drive	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Forrest County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 584-9303	261	27	9.7	96.9%	10 (3.8%)	183 (70.1%)	32 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (13.8%)	21.3	322^nd of 383 public elementary schools	15.9%		16.3	342^nd of 390 public elementary schools	12.3%	20	29.4	30.7	30.7	35.0	18.8	36.9	52.9	34.6	19.2	25.0	50.1	20.0	42.3	30.0	$13,805
Rowan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 Martin Luther King Drive	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Hattiesburg	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 583-0960	425	26	16.6	99.5%	1 (0.2%)	384 (90.4%)	21 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.5%)	72.7	97^th of 383 public elementary schools	74.7%		78.7	67^th of 390 public elementary schools	82.8%	30	52.6	64.4	71.7				50.9	80.0	49.1				83.1		$12,825
Hawkins Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	901 Ida Ave.	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Hattiesburg	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 583-4311	283	23	12.3	99.6%	9 (3.2%)	175 (61.8%)	78 (27.6%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.4%)	37.6	248^th of 383 public elementary schools	35.2%		49.9	205^th of 390 public elementary schools	47.4%	43	31.5	44.2	42.9				48.6	48.8	22.9				71.4		$14,576
Grace Christian Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2207 W 7th Street	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Hattiesburg	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 583-0662	367	22	16.3	100.0%	7 (1.9%)	320 (87.2%)	7 (1.9%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.6%)	66	129^th of 383 public elementary schools	66.3%		67.6	123^rd of 390 public elementary schools	68.5%	6	61.4	54.3	43.5				72.1	69.6	41.3				82.6		$12,446
Woodley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2006 O Ferrell St	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Hattiesburg	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 583-8112	422	27	15.8	100.0%	43 (10.2%)	248 (58.8%)	112 (26.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.5%)	74.5	85^th of 383 public elementary schools	77.8%		75.9	81^st of 390 public elementary schools	79.2%	4	63.4	67.1	58.7				82.8	65.7	45.6				65.2		$11,339
Thames Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 Jamestown Road	Hattiesburg	39402	Forrest County	Hattiesburg	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 582-6655	619	41	15.2	100.0%	27 (4.4%)	450 (72.7%)	22 (3.6%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	112 (18.1%)	43.6	220^th of 383 public elementary schools	42.6%		58.9	159^th of 390 public elementary schools	59.2%	61	43.5	44.4	57.1				60.8	40.7	28.6				58.5		$13,647
North Forrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	702 Eatonville Road	Hattiesburg	39401	Forrest County	Forrest County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 584-6466	209	19	10.8	92.3%	47 (22.5%)	133 (63.6%)	14 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.2%)	61.7	152^nd of 383 public elementary schools	60.3%		67.8	121^st of 390 public elementary schools	69.0%	31	70.8	56.0	55.2	53.6			83.3	48.0	51.7	50.0			51.7		$15,890

Frequently Asked Questions about Petal Elementary 3-4

How many students attend Petal Elementary 3-4?

In the 2024-25 school year, 636 students attended Petal Elementary 3-4.

What schools do graduates of Petal Elementary 3-4 attend?

Students who attend Petal Elementary 3-4 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Petal Middle School
Middle : Petal Upper Elementary
High : Petal High School

What is the racial makeup of Petal Elementary 3-4?

Students at Petal Elementary 3-4 are 69% White, 16% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

Is Petal Elementary 3-4 a good school?

Petal Elementary 3-4 ranks 53^rd of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Petal Elementary 3-4 in?

Petal School District

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Schools in Petal, MS

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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.