Summary:
The four elementary schools located in the 38732 zip code area, which are part of the Cleveland School District, are consistently underperforming compared to state and district averages. These schools, including D.M. Smith Elementary, Nailor Elementary School, Parks Elementary School, and Pearman Elementary School, have consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Mississippi elementary schools, with 0-1 star ratings from SchoolDigger.
The data reveals that all four schools have significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the Cleveland School District and Mississippi state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the 3rd grade ELA proficiency rate at D.M. Smith Elementary was 17.3%, compared to the district average of 32.8% and the state average of 49.4%. Additionally, the schools have high chronic absenteeism rates, with all four schools reporting a rate of 23.9% for the 2022-2023 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average.
The data also shows that all four schools have 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population. While the student-teacher ratios for the schools are relatively low, ranging from 11.7 to 12.3, this may suggest staffing challenges or difficulties in attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, which could be a contributing factor to the overall low academic performance of these schools.
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