Summary:
Zip code 39040 contains exactly one school, Bentonia Gibbs School, a high-poverty elementary school serving grades PK–5 in Bentonia, Mississippi, as part of the Yazoo County School District. With no middle or high schools in the area, Bentonia Gibbs is the single educational provider for the community, and its details define the entire local school landscape.
The school is notable for its favorable 12.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio and its strong attendance: chronic absenteeism is 20.8%, well below the district’s 31.7% and the state’s 23.9%. Academically, the school earns a consistent 2-star rating and ranks in the bottom third to 40th percentile of Mississippi elementary schools, with a statewide rank that improved from 264th in 2023–2024 to 229th in 2024–2025, then slipped to 252nd in 2025–2026. Its biggest strengths are in 5th grade science, where 74.2% of students scored proficient in 2024–2025—far above the district (62.1%) and state (66.3%)—and a notable 2024–2025 4th grade math performance at 61.5% proficiency, above the state average. However, reading and math proficiency generally trail state averages in most grades, with the largest gaps in 3rd grade math (21.1% vs. 53.3% in 2024–2025) and 3rd grade ELA (25.8% vs. 49.4% in 2024–2025).
Year-to-year results at Bentonia Gibbs are volatile, likely due to small cohorts and shifting student populations; for instance, 3rd grade math jumped from 21.1% to 44.7% in one year, while 4th grade math fell from 61.5% to 37.7%. With 99.21% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the school faces significant economic challenges, yet its low class sizes and better-than-average attendance are encouraging. Families in 39040 should know that Bentonia Gibbs is the only school in the zip code and serves as the foundational educational institution for the area, with notable science achievement and several bright spots that could be built upon, even as early literacy and elementary math remain key areas for improvement.
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