Summary:
Zip code 38841, which covers the Ecru, Mississippi area, is home to just one elementary school: North Pontotoc Elementary School, a K–4 campus serving 762 students in the Pontotoc County School District. With no other elementary schools in the zip code for comparison, the most meaningful context comes from district and state benchmarks, where this high-poverty school—99.61% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—turns in a mixed but largely encouraging performance.
North Pontotoc's standout strengths are in 4th grade and in student attendance. In the latest year, 4th grade math proficiency reached 65.5%, well above the state average of 51.5% and close to the district's 67.8%, while 4th grade English Language Arts hit 56.1%, outpacing the state's 52.4%. The school also posted a chronic absenteeism rate of just 21.0%, dramatically better than the district's 34.1% and slightly better than the state's 23.9%. This regular attendance likely supports the academic gains seen in upper elementary, especially given the high poverty level. The school has held a stable 3-star rating for three consecutive years, sitting between the 62nd and 66th percentile of Mississippi elementary schools, though its district is rated a 4-star district, ranking 28th out of 134 statewide.
The clearest area of concern is 3rd grade math, which dropped sharply from 58.0% proficiency in 2024–2025 to 39.7% in 2025–2026—an 18.3-point decline that leaves the school roughly 9 points below both the district and state averages. Notably, 4th graders outperformed 3rd graders in every tested subject and year, with a striking 25.8-point gap in math in the latest year, suggesting 3rd grade math is a bottleneck in the academic pipeline. Outside of that one subject, North Pontotoc consistently matches or beats state averages, making early elementary math the clearest opportunity for improvement as the school continues to serve its community.
Thank you for your feedback!