Schools in Zip Code 38658

In zip code 38658, there is exactly one school: Pope School, a PK–8 campus in the South Panola School District serving 549 students in a small, rural Mississippi community. Because this is the only school in the area, all attention falls on Pope School, which has earned a consistent 3-star SchoolDigger rating and currently ranks 125th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools — placing it in the top third statewide. The school serves a predominantly high-need population, with 73.59% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, yet its overall proficiency of 53.8% outpaces both the district (48.3%) and state (51.7%). Chronic absenteeism stands at 26.0%, better than the district’s 33.9% but slightly worse than the state’s 23.9%, meaning about one in four students is missing enough school to be a concern.

Pope School’s academic strengths are concentrated in the elementary grades and in 8th grade. Third through sixth grade ELA scores are consistently above district and state averages, with 5th grade ELA reaching 61.8% proficient and 6th grade math hitting 61.9%. The school also shines in 8th grade, with strong year-over-year gains in ELA (+12.4 points), math (+13.5), and science (+8.5). Notably, 8th grade science (65.1% proficient) and 8th grade math (51.2%) both meet or exceed state averages, making the school a solid launching pad for high school readiness. In contrast, 5th grade math remains a relative weak spot at 43.6% proficient, below both the district (49.2%) and state (49.6%), and 5th grade science also trails its peers by about 8 points.

The biggest red flag is 7th grade ELA, where only 26.8% of students are proficient — a staggering 19.1-point drop from the prior year’s 7th grade score. This same cohort scored 53.5% in 6th grade ELA just a year earlier, suggesting a sharp decline that deserves immediate investigation. Meanwhile, the school’s strong 8th grade performance indicates either a rebound after a difficult 7th grade year or significant differences between cohorts. Overall, Pope School is an above-average school in Mississippi, and despite the challenges of a high-poverty student body, it continues to outperform expectations. If leaders can stabilize 7th grade literacy and build on the strong 8th grade trajectory, the school is well positioned to keep climbing the state rankings.