Summary:
Itawamba Attendance Center and Dorsey Attendance Center are the two public elementary schools serving zip code 38843 in Fulton, Mississippi, covering grades PK–8 and PK–6 respectively, both within the Itawamba County School District, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 43rd out of 134 districts statewide.
Itawamba Attendance Center is the clear academic leader, maintaining a 4-star rating and ranking in the 71st percentile of Mississippi elementary schools, while Dorsey Attendance Center has fallen to a 1-star rating and now sits in the 28th percentile. In 2025–2026, Itawamba’s average math proficiency was nearly double Dorsey’s (65.7% versus 34.8%), and Itawamba also led in ELA (50.7% versus 36.7%). Notably, Dorsey actually has a more favorable student-teacher ratio (11.0 versus 15.7) and lower chronic absenteeism (14.8% versus 16.3%), yet still trails badly. Poverty is a likely factor—Dorsey’s free/reduced lunch rate is 82% compared to Itawamba’s 68%—but Itawamba’s own high-poverty status and strong results show that high achievement is possible even under challenging circumstances.
Dorsey does offer one remarkable bright spot: its 5th-grade science proficiency reached 75.8% in 2025–2026, beating Itawamba’s 66.1% and the state average. However, Dorsey’s math performance collapses in upper elementary, dropping from 51.4% in 4th grade to just 20.5% in 5th grade, while Itawamba’s math is consistently excellent across all tested grades. Itawamba also has a notable weak spot in 7th-grade ELA at 36.6%, suggesting a grade-level literacy dip. Both schools have been slipping in statewide rankings over the past three years, so families may want to watch for district initiatives aimed at reversing these trends and scaling Dorsey’s science success while addressing its upper-elementary math challenges.
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