Summary:
Zip code 38751, serving the Indianola, Mississippi area, contains just one elementary school: Lockard Elementary School, which serves grades K–3 with an enrollment of 393 students and is part of the Sunflower County Consolidated School District. The district holds a 1-star rating and ranks 98th out of 134 districts statewide (27th percentile), reflecting a generally low-performing district context. Despite this, Lockard Elementary stands out as a positive academic outlier within its district.
Lockard's performance is especially notable given its high-poverty profile—100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Mathematics is a clear strength: in 2024–2025, 68.9% of 3rd graders were proficient in math, beating the state average (53.3%) by 15.6 points, and in 2025–2026, 57.6% were proficient versus the state's 48.8%. The school also outpaced its district by 26.5 points in math in 2024–2025. In ELA, the school beat district and state averages in 2024–2025 (60.5% vs. 49.4% statewide), but proficiency dropped to 44.4% in 2025–2026, falling below the state average of 48.5%—a 16.1-point decline worth monitoring.
Chronic absenteeism is a potential risk factor, with 27.5% of Lockard students chronically absent in 2022–2023, higher than the district (24.4%) and state (23.9%) levels reported a year later. Given that more than one in four students missed substantial school time, attendance may be influencing academic consistency, particularly the recent ELA dip. With a 17:1 student-teacher ratio and consistent double-digit leads over district averages, Lockard Elementary demonstrates meaningful school-level success in a challenging context, and its math program in particular remains a standout.
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