Summary:
Zip code 39041 contains exactly one elementary school, Bolton-Edwards Elementary Middle School, which serves grades PK–8 in Bolton, MS, within the Hinds County School District. This school is the only elementary option in the immediate area, so everything here focuses on how it compares to the district and state. The most exciting news is its recent improvement: the school jumped from the 13th to the 30th percentile in state ranking between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, earning its first 2-star rating. It also has a notably low chronic absenteeism rate of 17.0%, compared to 23.5% for the district and 23.9% for the state, which is an impressive advantage for a school serving a high-poverty community.
With 335 students and a student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1, class sizes are relatively small, which can support individualized instruction. Every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, indicating a very high-poverty population. In 2025–2026, the school's average math proficiency reached 43.2%, close to the district's 44.8%, and up sharply from 32.4% the prior year. Science proficiency was 56.4%, also near district levels. However, English Language Arts (ELA) remains a challenge, with an average of 28.9% proficient compared to 47.1% for the state. Grade-level results are mixed: 3rd grade math stands out at 61.1% proficient, above the state's 48.8%, and 4th grade math also beats the state average at 53.5%. In contrast, 4th grade ELA is just 21.5% proficient, and 6th grade ELA sits at 19.4%.
The school's most striking trend is the dramatic improvement in mathematics, especially in 4th grade, which jumped from 13.9% to 53.5% proficiency in one year. Sixth and 8th grade math also saw double-digit gains. Meanwhile, ELA proficiency stayed flat, making literacy the school's most urgent priority. Performance varies widely by grade level, suggesting that teaching teams or curriculum differences play a big role. Despite the challenges, this high-poverty school has shown that targeted progress is possible, particularly in math and attendance. The recent rise in ranking from 300th to 265th in the state shows momentum, but sustained effort—especially in reading—will be needed to continue moving upward.
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