Summary:
There is just one elementary school serving zip code 39083: Hazlehurst Elementary. This PK–5 school enrolls 643 students and is part of the Hazlehurst City School District, which ranks 86th out of 134 districts in Mississippi. Because it is the only elementary school in the area, all comparisons are made against district and state averages rather than other local schools.
Hazlehurst Elementary shows a mixed academic picture. Science is a clear highlight: 5th grade science proficiency jumped from 46.7% to 65.6%, nearly matching the state average of 71.5%. English Language Arts is also improving, with 5th grade reaching 50.5% proficiency — the school's best ELA result and only about 5 points below the state average. However, math is a serious concern. 3rd grade math proficiency fell from 32.7% to just 17%, and 5th grade math dropped from 46.2% to 20.6%. These scores are far below state averages and represent a dramatic one-year decline.
The school faces significant challenges beyond academics. Nearly all students (99.53%) receive free or reduced lunch, indicating an extremely high-poverty population. Chronic absenteeism is 33.7% — higher than the state average of 23.9%, though lower than the district's 40.8%. Despite gains in ELA and science, the school's statewide ranking has slipped from the 23rd to the 18th percentile, reflecting the heavy weight of math performance and other factors in the accountability system. For parents, the key takeaway is that Hazlehurst Elementary has real strengths in science and reading, but math instruction and attendance are the areas most in need of attention.
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