Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 39218

Zip code 39218 in Richland, Mississippi is home to two public elementary schools—Richland Upper Elementary (grades 3–6) and Richland Elementary (grades PK–2)—which together serve 849 students in the Rankin County School District, a highly rated district ranked 25th out of 134 in Mississippi.

The two schools form a clear academic pipeline: Richland Elementary handles the early years, while Richland Upper Elementary is the only school in the zip code with published test scores and a state accountability rating. Richland Upper has held a steady 3-star rating and a 61st–62nd percentile statewide rank for three consecutive years. In the latest testing cycle, it beat the state average in most English language arts, math, and science subjects, but it consistently trails its own district. The biggest gap is in 5th-grade math, where just 42.3% of students scored proficient versus 69.5% districtwide. Fifth-grade science is a relative strength at 77.2% proficiency, though still below the district’s 87.1%. Richland Elementary, by contrast, has no test data because testing begins in 3rd grade, so its performance must be inferred from attendance and demographics.

Both schools serve a high-poverty population, with roughly 78% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism is a shared concern: Richland Upper’s rate is 20.6% and Richland Elementary’s is 18.8%, both well above the district average of 13.7% but below the state average of 23.9%. Richland Upper also shows notable year-to-year swings in test scores—3rd-grade ELA dropped by 20 points while 5th-grade science jumped by nearly 22 points—suggesting sensitivity to different cohorts of students. For parents, the big picture is that Richland Upper Elementary is a solid, mid-tier school that outperforms the state but lags its strong district, especially in upper-elementary math. With the early grades housed separately, Richland Elementary’s impact on later achievement is harder to measure, making attendance and early intervention the most important watchpoints for both schools.