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Pearl River Central Elementar

Q: Is Pearl River Central Elementar a good school?

Pearl River Central Elementar ranks 125 th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

125^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Pearl River Central Elementar is a public elementary school located in Carriere, Mississippi, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 1,491 students. The school is part of the Pearl River County School District, which is ranked 32 out of 130 districts in Mississippi and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overall, Pearl River Central Elementar generally performs better than the state average on MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) tests across various grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 4th-grade math proficiency rate is 74%, compared to the state average of 56.6%. However, the school faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.9% to 32.5% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 66.26% to 99.8% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby schools, Pearl River Central Elementar generally performs better on MAAP tests, particularly in math and science. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate is 75%, compared to the state average of 66.3% and the Hancock County School District average of 84.2% at West Hancock Elementary School. However, the high chronic absenteeism rates at Pearl River Central Elementar are a concern, as they are significantly higher than the nearby Poplarville Lower Elementary School (23.9%) and Poplarville Upper Elementary School (23.9%), which are also in the same county.

1,414

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,417

Per pupil spending ?

66.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

116 Alphabet Ave
Carriere, MS 39426

(601) 799-4519

District: Pearl River County School District

Students who attend Pearl River Central Elementar usually attend:

Middle:	Pearl River Central Junior High
High:	Pearl River Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.2%

Hispanic:

7.6%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Pearl River Central Elementar to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2014 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (60% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Above the Mississippi median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

Mississippi avg54%

125^th of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

32^nd of 130Pearl River 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
2025	67.4	125 of 383	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.1	116 of 390	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.8	129 of 377	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	140 of 382	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.1	116 of 381	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.3	158 of 397	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.2	147 of 406	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.4	145 of 394	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.2	111 of 402	72.4%	★★★★☆
2014	70.8	105 of 394	73.4%	★★★★☆
2013	78.0	80 of 408	80.4%	★★★★☆
2012	75.8	88 of 414	78.7%	★★★★☆
2011	59.4	175 of 418	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	82.8	50 of 403	87.6%	★★★★☆
2009	80.3	61 of 392	84.4%	★★★★☆
2008	75.5	82 of 394	79.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science75%+9 vs state

Mathematics62%+9 vs state

English Language Arts54%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pearl River Central Elementar

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
Pearl River Central Elementar	Public	PK, KG-5	116 Alphabet Ave	Carriere	39426	Pearl River County	Pearl River County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 799-4519	1,414	84	16.8	66.1%	1,191 (84.2%)	43 (3.0%)	107 (7.6%)	3 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (4.6%)	67.4	125^th of 383 public elementary schools	67.4%		68.1	116^th of 390 public elementary schools	70.3%	9	48.0	58.8	56.9		62.0	74.0	50.4		75.0	$9,417
Roseland Park Elementary	Public	K-6	1610 Gilcrease Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-6824	370	18	20.3		210 (56.8%)	106 (28.6%)	35 (9.5%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	39.1	239^th of 383 public elementary schools	37.6%		36.4	257^th of 390 public elementary schools	34.1%	18	29.8	58.2	50.0	41.9	38.6	60.5	31.3	28.0	60.5	$11,030
West Side Elementary	Public	K-6	111 Kirkwood Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-3625	444	26	16.9	74.1%	267 (60.1%)	110 (24.8%)	36 (8.1%)	8 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.7%)	40.9	228^th of 383 public elementary schools	40.5%		46.8	213^th of 390 public elementary schools	45.4%	15	45.2	58.0	46.4	51.1	31.5	60.0	25.0	51.1	41.0	$10,055
South Side Upper Elementary	Public	3-6	1500 Rosa Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-1105	310	21	14.4	79.4%	185 (59.7%)	97 (31.3%)	17 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	63	146^th of 383 public elementary schools	61.9%		72.1	101^st of 390 public elementary schools	74.1%	45	52.7	58.3	51.3	53.4	45.9	68.4	53.4	50.7	74.6	$9,768
South Side Lower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	400 South Beech Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 799-0683	320	19	17.0	82.2%	184 (57.5%)	101 (31.6%)	23 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)								(n/a)										$9,726
West Hancock Elementary	Public	K-5	23350 Highway 43	Picayune	39466	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 586-6054	349	26	13.4	75.1%	305 (87.4%)	13 (3.7%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	73.3	91^st of 383 public elementary schools	76.2%		79.2	66^th of 390 public elementary schools	83.1%	25	60.4	57.1	54.9		62.0	65.1	62.8		88.3	$13,554
Nicholson Elementary	Public	K-6	1887 Hwy 11 South	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-6309	324	22	14.6	84.6%	154 (47.5%)	84 (25.9%)	69 (21.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.6%)	33.3	265^th of 383 public elementary schools	30.8%		40.2	246^th of 390 public elementary schools	36.9%	19	46.9	34.7	43.1	28.5	59.2	46.9	15.7	37.1	56.8	$10,841
Poplarville Lower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	804 South Julia Street Suite A	Poplarville	39470	Pearl River County	Poplarville School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 795-6568	521	31	16.8	58.7%	423 (81.2%)	52 (10.0%)	11 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.3%)								(n/a)										$10,191
Poplarville Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	1 Todd Circle	Poplarville	39470	Pearl River County	Poplarville School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 795-3104	432	29	14.8	64.1%	368 (85.2%)	26 (6.0%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.2%)	75	82^nd of 383 public elementary schools	78.6%		66	135^th of 390 public elementary schools	65.4%	53	58.4	76.8	64.5		67.7	66.1	48.2		74.8	$9,936
Hancock North Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	6122 Cuevas Town Road	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-7641	404	29	13.9	69.8%	380 (94.1%)	6 (1.5%)	11 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	83.7	50^th of 383 public elementary schools	86.9%		85.3	44^th of 390 public elementary schools	88.7%	6	60.0	67.8	65.7		74.3	85.8	59.7		88.1	$12,517

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl River Central Elementar

How many students attend Pearl River Central Elementar?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,414 students attended Pearl River Central Elementar.

What district is Pearl River Central Elementar in?

Pearl River County School District

What is the racial makeup of Pearl River Central Elementar?

Students at Pearl River Central Elementar are 84% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools do graduates of Pearl River Central Elementar attend?

Students who attend Pearl River Central Elementar usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pearl River Central Junior High
High : Pearl River Central High School

Is Pearl River Central Elementar a good school?

Pearl River Central Elementar ranks 125^th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Pearl River Central Elementar!

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Schools in Carriere, 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.