Summary:
Zip code 38737, which covers the Drew, Mississippi area, is home to just one elementary school: A.W. James Elementary, a PK-5 campus enrolling 219 students in the Sunflower County Consolidated School District. The school serves a high-need population, with 100% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, but it stands out as a relative bright spot within a district that ranks in the 27th percentile statewide.
A.W. James Elementary outperforms its district in every tested subject and grade level. In 4th grade mathematics, the school's proficiency rate of 52.9% towers over the district's 30.4%, and in 3rd grade math the school's 55.9% proficiency actually exceeds the state average of 48.8%. The school also exceeds the state in 4th grade math (52.9% vs. 51.5%). The 3rd grade English Language Arts score made a remarkable jump from 22.2% to 47.0% in one year. The school also benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 12.6 and a chronic absenteeism rate of 18.1%, well below the district's 24.4% and the state's 23.9%.
State ranking history shows the school earned 3 stars and a 55th-percentile rank in 2023-2024, dipped to a 39th-percentile rank in 2024-2025, then improved to a 45th-percentile rank and 2 stars in 2025-2026. While 5th grade science remains the weakest subject relative to the state (58.1% vs. 71.5%), the school still beats its district by nearly 9 points. Declines in 4th grade ELA and math are worth watching, but overall A.W. James Elementary is an academic anchor in the Sunflower County Consolidated School District and a school showing promising momentum for continued growth.
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