Summary:
In zip code 39150, there is just one elementary school: A. W. Watson Elementary, which serves 531 students in grades PK through 5 in the Port Gibson, Mississippi area. As part of Claiborne County Public Schools, this school represents the entire elementary education landscape for this zip code, and its test results exactly match the district's elementary scores, confirming the school's central role in shaping district-level outcomes.
A. W. Watson Elementary serves a student body where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, reflecting a very high-poverty community. The school maintains a student-teacher ratio of 16.1:1, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 15.3% is considerably better than both the district's 30.5% and the state's 23.9% — a positive sign given the poverty level. However, academic performance trails state averages across almost every subject. In the most recent testing year, 3rd-grade ELA proficiency was 22.4% versus the state's 48.5%, and 4th-grade math was just 15.9% compared to the state's 51.5%. The school's statewide ranking has also declined steadily, falling from the 15th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 6th percentile in 2025-2026, with a 0-star rating.
There are some encouraging signs worth noting. Fifth-grade science proficiency jumped 14.7 points, from 39.0% to 53.7%, making science the school's strongest subject. Third-grade math also improved by 12.8 points, reaching 31.0%. However, ELA proficiency declined across all three grades, and 4th-grade math fell sharply by 13.5 points. This volatility suggests results are sensitive to cohort changes. With the district ranking 129th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, the school faces significant systemic challenges. Parents may want to focus on the school's relative strengths — attendance, science, and a manageable class size — while remaining aware that math and ELA proficiency need substantial improvement.
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