Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38631

ZIP code 38631 contains exactly one school, Friars Point Elementary, a small public elementary school in Friars Point, Mississippi, serving grades K-6 with 133 students and no other middle or high schools in the area. This means the school stands alone in the ZIP code, and it operates within the Coahoma County School District, which ranks in the 14th percentile statewide. Nearly all students (98.5%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 12.2. Chronic absenteeism is elevated at 30.0%, compared to 23.9% statewide, creating significant challenges for learning.

Despite these obstacles, Friars Point Elementary shows clear areas of strength, especially in upper elementary math and science. In the 2025-2026 school year, 4th grade math proficiency reached 55.6% and 5th grade math hit 54.5%, both above state averages. Fifth grade science is the school’s best subject at 68.1% proficient, exceeding the district by 8 points and nearly matching the state. The school also improved its state ranking from the 9th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 27th percentile in 2025-2026, a notable jump. However, early-grade performance is a serious concern: 3rd grade English Language Arts proficiency collapsed to just 6.3%, and 3rd grade math was only 12.5%, both far below district and state levels.

Test scores at this school vary dramatically from year to year, largely because grade-level cohorts are very small, so a single class can swing proficiency rates by 30 points or more. For example, 3rd grade ELA dropped from 38.1% to 6.3% in one year, while 5th grade math rose from 22.3% to 54.5%. Overall, the school’s average proficiency in ELA (25.3%) and math (39.9%) trails state averages, but math is much closer to the district average than reading. The most urgent focus should be 3rd grade reading and math, while the most encouraging signs are in 4th and 5th grade math and 5th grade science. For a school with such high poverty and absenteeism, its recent progress suggests meaningful improvement is possible.