Summary:
Zip code 38759 is served by one elementary school, Hayes Cooper Center, which enrolls 304 students in grades PK–6 in Merigold, Mississippi. This high-poverty school (100% free/reduced lunch) stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in upper-elementary math and English Language Arts, and it has steadily improved its state ranking from 144th to 120th over the past three years while maintaining a 3-star rating. Despite being part of the Cleveland School District, which ranks in the lower third of Mississippi districts, Hayes Cooper Center outperforms both the district and state averages in most tested subjects.
In 2025–2026, the school posted remarkable math proficiency rates of 78.8% in 5th grade and 82.8% in 6th grade—roughly 30 percentage points above state averages. ELA proficiency in 5th and 6th grades also exceeded state averages by 14 and 11 points, respectively, and 6th grade ELA soared to 86.7% in 2024–2025, a 40-point gap over the state. Science in 5th grade was solid at 72.7%, nearly matching the state’s 71.5%. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate is just 7.0%, dramatically lower than the district (22.7%) and state (23.9%), which likely supports consistent learning and academic success in a challenging socioeconomic context.
The most notable concern is a dip in 4th grade performance: math proficiency fell to 29.0% in 2025–2026, far below the state (51.5%) and district (38.9%), while 4th grade ELA also trailed the state by over 10 points. This steep drop between 3rd and 5th grades may reflect a curriculum transition or a challenging cohort. Overall, Hayes Cooper Center demonstrates that a high-poverty school can exceed state averages, but the 4th grade weakness suggests a need for targeted intervention. Its strongest results in grades 5 and 6 point to effective upper-elementary instruction worth studying, while the low absenteeism and improving rank offer encouraging signs for parents.
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