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Beat Four School

Q: Is Beat Four School a good school?

Beat Four School ranks 264 th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

264^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 377 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Mississippi elementary schools

Summary

Beat Four School is a PK-8 school in rural Waynesboro, MS, serving 416 students in the Wayne County School District, where 99% of students come from economically disadvantaged families. The school ranks 263rd of 377 Mississippi schools (30th percentile, 2 stars) — a recovery from 305th in 2023-24, but still mid-pack among its district peers.

Beat Four's clearest strength is early reading. Third grade ELA proficiency is 52.3% and 4th grade is 60.7%, both above state averages. But the gains fade sharply: 5th grade drops to 45%, 6th to 32.4%, and 7th to just 18%, less than half the state average. Math is a consistent weakness in every grade, with 5th grade the most concerning at 20% proficiency — nearly 30 points below the state. Science also trails: 5th grade sits at 47.5% and 8th grade at 43.7%, both well below district and state levels.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism. At 19.5%, it's roughly double every other PK-8 school in the district: Buckatunna School is at 11.8%, Clara School at 11.0%, and Wayne Central School at 9.2%. Attendance tracks performance: when absenteeism was 14.2% in 2022-23, Beat Four ranked 232nd; when it spiked to 19.5% in 2023-24, the school fell to 305th. Buckatunna School is the most direct comparison — nearly identical enrollment (418 vs. 416), same district, same 99% free-lunch rate, yet higher scores in every subject. With a student-teacher ratio of 14.8 (better than Buckatunna's 16.3), the issue isn't class size or poverty. Clara School, with the same economic profile, ranks in the 69th percentile — proof that strong outcomes are possible here. The path forward is clear: improve attendance and sustain early literacy gains into middle school.

416

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,696

Per pupil spending ?

37.5%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

5090 Highway 84 West
Waynesboro, MS 39367

(601) 735-2124

District: Wayne County School District

Students who attend Beat Four School usually attend:

High:

Wayne County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.4%

African American:

37.0%

Two or more races:

7.9%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare Beat Four School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (37% vs 52% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the Mississippi average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg40%

Mississippi avg52%

Elementary school

264^th of 377

Mississippi public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

216^th of 263

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Wayne County School District

79^th of 133Wayne 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
2026	32.2	264 of 377	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.1	290 of 380	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	301 of 380	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.4	227 of 358	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.6	252 of 355	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	239 of 352	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	262 of 354	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.9	247 of 351	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.3	293 of 406	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	42.9	222 of 394	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.6	198 of 402	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	43.8	231 of 394	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.4	259 of 408	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.2	230 of 414	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.9	211 of 418	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.9	197 of 403	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.7	189 of 392	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.4	193 of 394	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	21.9	216 of 263	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	224 of 265	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	206 of 259	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	162 of 228	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	159 of 233	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.1	146 of 229	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	141 of 223	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	142 of 211	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.9	164 of 272	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.0	172 of 260	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	56.4	92 of 266	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	33.7	181 of 264	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.8	170 of 269	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.4	193 of 270	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	46.7	158 of 264	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.8	119 of 255	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.7	80 of 247	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.8	85 of 244	65.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science46%-19 vs state

English Language Arts40%-7 vs state

Mathematics32%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Beat Four 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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 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
Beat Four School	Public	PK, KG-8	5090 Highway 84 West	Waynesboro	39367	Wayne County	Wayne County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 735-2124	416	28	14.8	37.5%	218 (52.4%)	154 (37.0%)	10 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.9%)	32.2	264^th of 377 public elementary schools	30.0%		27.1	290^th of 380 public elementary schools	23.7%	26	52.3	60.7	45.0	32.4	18.0	40.6	40.9	35.7	20.0	35.3	30.0	28.1	47.5	43.7	$11,696
Waynesboro Riverview School	Public	PK, KG-8	155 Wayne Street	Waynesboro	39367	Wayne County	Wayne County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 735-3159	491	31	15.8	46.2%	22 (4.5%)	414 (84.3%)	49 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	14.2	332^nd of 377 public elementary schools	11.9%		21	324^th of 380 public elementary schools	14.7%	8	37.3	34.8	46.5	23.1	28.2	43.6	25.4	19.6	16.3	11.5	43.5	41.0	46.5	58.9	$10,651
Wayne Central School	Public	PK, KG-8	1022 Azalea Drive	Waynesboro	39367	Wayne County	Wayne County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 735-2205	459	31	14.8	46.0%	57 (12.4%)	373 (81.3%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.3%)	18.6	323^rd of 377 public elementary schools	14.3%		15.1	343^rd of 380 public elementary schools	9.7%	20	20.0	32.6	40.0	32.4	22.8	10.0	20.0	25.6	32.5	35.3	25.7	13.3	65.0	53.4	$10,938
Clara School	Public	PK, KG-8	40 Clara School Road	Waynesboro	39367	Wayne County	Wayne County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 735-2065	418	29	14.1	22.7%	366 (87.6%)	32 (7.7%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.1%)	65.9	118^th of 377 public elementary schools	68.7%		69.3	112^th of 380 public elementary schools	70.5%	6	71.4	75.0	55.6	46.3	29.7	41.1	40.5	50.0	51.1	58.6	45.9	48.7	82.2	66.6	$11,169
East Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	108 Northeast Drive	Laurel	39443	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 425-9799	794	61	13.0	22.9%	536 (67.5%)	135 (17.0%)	37 (4.7%)	5 (0.6%)	32 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (6.2%)	56.6	160^th of 377 public elementary schools	57.6%		53.2	180^th of 380 public elementary schools	52.6%	20	74.8	56.9	46.3	57.5			74.8	51.4	36.1	47.2			55.6		$10,076
Glade Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	990 Hwy 15 South	Laurel	39443	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 428-4265	423	35	12.0	18.9%	311 (73.5%)	71 (16.8%)	21 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	63.4	133^rd of 377 public elementary schools	64.7%		64.6	136^th of 380 public elementary schools	64.2%	3	45.2	50.8	74.5	33.9			85.7	55.5	71.8	39.6			86.9		$10,767
Nora Davis Elementary	Public	2-4	1305 Martin Luther King Ave	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(601) 438-3140	519	36	14.6	56.8%	5 (1.0%)	423 (81.5%)	80 (15.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.5%)	8.5	366^th of 377 public elementary schools	2.9%		9.1	361^st of 380 public elementary schools	5.0%	5	18.3	23.8					21.5	24.3							$10,657
William J. Berry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4035 County Road 8	Heidelberg	39439	Jasper County	East Jasper School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 787-2601	389	24	16.3	40.4%	4 (1.0%)	56 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	329 (84.6%)	41.3	225^th of 377 public elementary schools	40.3%		39.5	234^th of 380 public elementary schools	38.4%	9	53.6	45.1	46.1	29.6			46.5	43.1	53.8	42.6			59.7		$15,845
Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1125 North 5th Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(601) 428-7446	323	20	15.8	34.7%	12 (3.7%)	283 (87.6%)	13 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	89.5	28^th of 377 public elementary schools	92.6%		92	17^th of 380 public elementary schools	95.5%	11	80.0	83.8	88.4	80.5			60.0	59.4	81.4	100.0			76.8		$10,887
Oak Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1205 Oak Park Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 428-5046	405	21	19.2	56.0%	5 (1.2%)	321 (79.3%)	63 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.0%)								(n/a)															$12,259

Frequently Asked Questions about Beat Four School

What district is Beat Four School in?

Wayne County School District

What schools do graduates of Beat Four School attend?

Students who attend Beat Four School usually go on to attend:

High : Wayne County High School

What is the racial makeup of Beat Four School?

Students at Beat Four School are 52% White, 37% African American, 8% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Beat Four School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 416 students attended Beat Four School.

Is Beat Four School a good school?

Beat Four School ranks 264^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Beat Four School!

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 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.