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Nicholson Elementary

Q: Is Nicholson Elementary a good school?

Nicholson Elementary ranks 265 th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Nicholson Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades K-6 in the Picayune School District in Picayune, Mississippi. The school has 363 students and has been consistently ranked in the bottom half of Mississippi elementary schools over the past several years, with a current ranking of 265 out of 383 schools and a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nicholson Elementary faces significant challenges, particularly in the areas of chronic absenteeism and academic performance. The school has had very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.9% to 43.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the other nearby schools in the Picayune School District. Additionally, Nicholson Elementary's test scores on the MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) exams are generally below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 28.5% to 59.2% in English Language Arts and 15.7% to 59.2% in Mathematics, compared to district averages of 42.7% to 60.2% in ELA and 33.3% to 60.2% in Math.

However, the other elementary schools in the Picayune School District, such as Roseland Park Elementary, South Side Elementary, and West Side Elementary, generally perform better than Nicholson Elementary on test scores and other metrics. This suggests that Nicholson may be facing unique challenges that the other schools in the district are not experiencing, and there may be opportunities for targeted interventions and support to help improve student outcomes.

324

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,841

Per pupil spending ?

84.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1887 Hwy 11 South
Picayune, MS 39466

(601) 798-6309

District: Picayune School District

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Picayune Junior High School
High:	Picayune Memorial High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.5%

African American:

25.9%

Hispanic:

21.3%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Nicholson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2015 → 31st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (42% vs 53% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 24% Mississippi)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg48%

Mississippi avg53%

265^th of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Picayune School District

61^st of 130Picayune 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	33.3	265 of 383	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	246 of 390	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	287 of 377	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	237 of 382	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.6	233 of 381	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.5	213 of 397	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	242 of 404	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.2	179 of 406	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.7	217 of 394	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.6	249 of 402	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	31.7	303 of 394	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.2	309 of 408	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.1	247 of 414	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	34.2	303 of 418	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	45.3	236 of 403	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.8	258 of 392	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.1	242 of 394	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science57%-10 vs state

Mathematics40%-13 vs state

English Language Arts39%-12 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Nicholson Elementary

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
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
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 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
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 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
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
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
East Hancock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4221 Kiln Delisle Rd.	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-8372	633	30	20.7	48.5%	549 (86.7%)	17 (2.7%)	32 (5.1%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.6%)	91.8	18^th of 383 public elementary schools	95.3%		94.1	11^th of 390 public elementary schools	97.2%	7	66.9	77.0	70.3		83.0	93.6	81.5		88.0	$11,019

Frequently Asked Questions about Nicholson Elementary

What schools do graduates of Nicholson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nicholson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Picayune Junior High School
High : Picayune Memorial High School

What district is Nicholson Elementary in?

Picayune School District

How many students attend Nicholson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 324 students attended Nicholson Elementary.

Is Nicholson Elementary a good school?

Nicholson Elementary ranks 265^th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Nicholson Elementary?

Students at Nicholson Elementary are 48% White, 26% African American, 21% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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Schools in Picayune, 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.