Summary:
Zip code 38965, located in Water Valley, Mississippi, is served by a single elementary school: Davidson Elementary School, which enrolls 599 students in grades PK through 6 as part of the Water Valley School District.
Because Davidson is the only elementary school in the area, its results are also the district’s results for every subject and grade. The school is a mix of bright spots and concerns. On the positive side, 6th graders in 2025-2026 are performing above state averages in both math (63.2% proficient vs. 52.7% statewide) and English Language Arts (52.6% vs. 48.0%). Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 10.5% compared to 23.9% statewide, even though about 76% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school also made dramatic year-over-year gains in several areas, including a 31.9-point jump in 6th grade math proficiency and an 18.8-point gain in 6th grade ELA. In the previous year, 5th graders outpaced the state in math by 16.6 points and in science by 3.9 points.
However, there are clear vulnerabilities. The biggest red flag is 4th grade math, where only 25.3% of students are proficient versus 51.5% statewide — a gap of 26.2 points. 3rd and 4th grade ELA also trail the state by 10.6 and 21.1 points respectively. 5th grade science dropped sharply from 70.2% to 54.8% while the state average rose. These large swings suggest that outcomes depend heavily on the specific cohort of students in each grade rather than a consistent school-wide pattern. Overall, Davidson ranks 260th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools (31st percentile, 2 stars), improving slightly from last year but still below the state median. Parents should note that 6th grade is a strong point, while 3rd and 4th grades need targeted support.
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