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Simpson Central School

Q: Is Simpson Central School a good school?

Simpson Central School ranks 178 th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

178^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 383 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Simpson Central School is an elementary school located in Pinola, Mississippi, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of 405 students. The school is part of the Simpson County School District, which is ranked 92 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 86.42% to 99.38% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Simpson Central School has consistently performed better than the district and state in various MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) test scores. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics across multiple grade levels compared to the district and state averages. Additionally, the school has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.4 to 13.4 in recent years, which is lower than nearby Magee Elementary School and Mendenhall Elementary School.

While Simpson Central School's academic performance is strong compared to the district and state, its statewide ranking has declined over the years, from a high of 41 out of 402 Mississippi elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 178 out of 383 in 2024-2025. This suggests the school may be facing increasing competition from other high-performing schools in the state, such as McLaurin Elementary School and Florence Elementary School in the Rankin County School District. Additionally, the school's high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 21.7% to 41.0% in recent years, are a significant concern that may be impacting student learning and academic achievement.

388

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,631

Per pupil spending ?

84%

Free/discounted lunch ?

755 Simpson Hwy 28 W
Pinola, MS 39114

(601) 847-2630

District: Simpson County School District

Students who attend Simpson Central School usually attend:

High:

Mendenhall High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.4%

African American:

38.7%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Simpson Central School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Mississippi median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg36%

Mississippi avg51%

Elementary school

178^th of 383

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 36 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

129^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Top 48%▼ down 39 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Simpson County School District

92^nd of 130Simpson 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	178 of 383	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	162 of 390	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	161 of 377	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	167 of 382	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.8	191 of 381	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.9	99 of 397	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	111 of 404	72.5%	★★★★☆
2017	78.0	72 of 406	82.3%	★★★★☆
2016	82.7	53 of 394	86.5%	★★★★☆
2015	86.7	41 of 402	89.8%	★★★★★
2014	90.7	15 of 394	96.2%	★★★★★
2013	78.9	76 of 408	81.4%	★★★★☆
2012	80.5	63 of 414	84.8%	★★★★☆
2011	64.3	146 of 418	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	58.6	163 of 403	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	48.3	209 of 392	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.3	184 of 394	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	129 of 266	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	140 of 264	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	153 of 243	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.3	99 of 257	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	75 of 257	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	53 of 264	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	61 of 252	75.8%	★★★★☆
2017	83.7	37 of 272	86.4%	★★★★☆
2016	81.8	35 of 260	86.5%	★★★★☆
2015	87.9	24 of 266	91.0%	★★★★★
2014	90.0	8 of 264	97.0%	★★★★★
2013	82.2	39 of 269	85.5%	★★★★☆
2012	67.7	87 of 270	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.4	133 of 264	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.9	80 of 255	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.8	132 of 247	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	66.5	77 of 244	68.4%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science58%~ state avg

Mathematics53%~ state avg

English Language Arts39%-8 vs state

4.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 18, 2012

My children have been in this school for a few years and its getting better. Still needs work in the level of education. When my children first got there they were using books from previous years in other schools they attended. Also need more lockers for the students or stop requesting a lot of items that they have to carry all day. Backpacks are to heavy full of items. To many innappropriate comments and actions that didnt get taken care of properly also. New year and im hoping for a better one. Close Quote

Schools Near Simpson Central School

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
Simpson Central School	Public	K-8	755 Simpson Hwy 28 W	Pinola	39114	Simpson County	Simpson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 847-2630	388	26	15.1	84.0%	219 (56.4%)	150 (38.7%)	5 (1.3%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	53.4	178^th of 383 public elementary schools	53.5%		58.5	162^nd of 390 public elementary schools	58.5%	16	49.0	33.3	41.6	48.8	27.6	32.2	38.3	69.7	58.3	64.4	46.8	47.3	66.6	52.7	$12,631
New Hebron School	Public	K-8	120 Golden Bear Lane	Newhebron	39140	Lawrence County	Lawrence County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 694-2151	259	24	10.6	96.9%	87 (33.6%)	159 (61.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.9%)	42.7	222^nd of 383 public elementary schools	42.0%		35.8	260^th of 390 public elementary schools	33.3%	38	57.1	26.9	55.5	30.0	9.1	50.0	42.9	23.1	55.5	40.0	21.2	28.5	77.7	60.8	$14,466
Mendenhall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	814 East Street	Mendenhall	39114	Simpson County	Simpson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 847-2621	598	37	16.1	86.6%	273 (45.7%)	292 (48.8%)	14 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.8%)	26.9	292^nd of 383 public elementary schools	23.8%		28.3	288^th of 390 public elementary schools	26.2%	4	36.0	34.6	48.1	30.1			44.0	38.2	32.5	15.0			56.1		$11,389
Crystal Springs Elementary	Public	K-4	213 Newton Street	Crystal Springs	39059	Copiah County	Copiah County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 892-4795	482	26	18.4	100.0%	46 (9.5%)	373 (77.4%)	62 (12.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.1	272^nd of 383 public elementary schools	29.0%		36.1	258^th of 390 public elementary schools	33.8%	14	31.7	30.9					39.4	59.5							$9,893
Hazlehurst Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	112 Marvin Minor Drive	Hazlehurst	39083	Copiah County	Hazlehurst City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 894-3960	643	37	17.5	99.5%	10 (1.6%)	474 (73.7%)	136 (21.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	19 (3.0%)	24.9	303^rd of 383 public elementary schools	20.9%		26.4	299^th of 390 public elementary schools	23.3%	4	30.5	34.7	44.6				32.7	27.9	46.2				46.7		$11,635
McLaurin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2693 Star Rd.	Florence	39073	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 845-2127	504	40	12.7	75.2%	352 (69.8%)	71 (14.1%)	35 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.9%)	75.6	79^th of 383 public elementary schools	79.4%		67	126^th of 390 public elementary schools	67.7%	47	72.6	58.2	65.4	47.8			70.1	78.2	47.4	76.1			69.8		$12,097
Magee Elementary School	Public	K-5	1035 Goodwater Rd NW	Magee	39111	Simpson County	Simpson County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 849-3601	525	31	17.0	92.0%	144 (27.4%)	317 (60.4%)	32 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.9%)	22.1	319^th of 383 public elementary schools	16.7%		31.6	274^th of 390 public elementary schools	29.7%	45	24.7	33.8	44.7				30.0	49.2	24.7				44.8		$11,172
Florence Elementary	Public	3-5	285 Hwy 469 N	Florence	39073	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 845-8164	537	35	15.2	48.2%	433 (80.6%)	71 (13.2%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.5%)	93.3	15^th of 383 public elementary schools	96.1%		95.2	8^th of 390 public elementary schools	97.9%	7	86.9	74.8	73.2				81.2	86.5	79.0				87.9		$10,815
Steens Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	300 Hwy 469 N	Florence	39073	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 845-5724	582	34	16.9	48.5%	482 (82.8%)	61 (10.5%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (5.0%)								(n/a)															$11,358

Frequently Asked Questions about Simpson Central School

What district is Simpson Central School in?

Simpson County School District

What is the racial makeup of Simpson Central School?

Students at Simpson Central School are 56% White, 39% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Simpson Central School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 388 students attended Simpson Central School.

Is Simpson Central School a good school?

Simpson Central School ranks 178^th of 383 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Simpson Central School attend?

Students who attend Simpson Central School usually go on to attend:

High : Mendenhall High School

Rate Simpson Central School!

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Schools in Pinola, 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.