Summary:
Zip code 38672 in Southaven, MS is home to two public elementary schools—DeSoto Central Primary School and DeSoto Central Elementary School—that together form a PK–5 pathway within the DeSoto County School District. The Primary School enrolls 792 students in PK–2, while the Elementary School serves 831 students in grades 3–5, for a combined 1,623 students. Because the Primary School’s grade span is not included in Mississippi’s MAAP testing, DeSoto Central Elementary School is the only school in this zip code with academic ranking data.
The standout story here is DeSoto Central Elementary School’s sharp decline: it fell from a 4-star rating (75th percentile) in 2023–2024 to a 2-star rating (36th percentile) in 2025–2026. Math is the most urgent concern, with 3rd–5th grade proficiency running 13–17 points below the state average. Science also flipped from 70.9% proficiency (above state) to 62.8% (below state) in one year. ELA is mixed, with 3rd grade matching the state but 4th and 5th grades lagging. Meanwhile, DeSoto Central Primary School has no test data but serves a slightly less economically disadvantaged population (40.78% free/reduced lunch vs. 45.37% at the Elementary School).
Both schools have excellent chronic absenteeism rates—14.3% at the Elementary School and 17.0% at the Primary School—far better than the district (26.4%) and state (23.9%). That means attendance is not driving the academic drop. The Primary School has slightly higher absenteeism despite lower poverty, a modest but interesting difference. Overall, the zip code offers a stable early-childhood feeder into a district that ranks 45th out of 134 statewide, but DeSoto Central Elementary School is trending downward and needs targeted math intervention to reverse course.
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