Summary:
Zip code 39232 in Flowood, Mississippi, is served by two elementary schools—Northwest Elementary and Flowood Elementary—both serving grades PK–5 and belonging to the Rankin County School District, a top-20% district in Mississippi (ranked 25th out of 134 districts with a 4-star rating). Combined enrollment is 935 students: 477 at Northwest and 458 at Flowood. Both schools consistently outperform Mississippi state proficiency averages across nearly every MAAP subject, and both maintain favorable student-teacher ratios of 13.2:1 and 13.8:1.
Northwest Elementary is the higher-performing school in the area. It ranks 70th out of 377 schools statewide (81st percentile, 4 stars), has a lower poverty rate (37.11% free/reduced lunch), and lower chronic absenteeism (12.6%) than Flowood Elementary. Flowood Elementary ranks 78th out of 377 schools (79th percentile, 4 stars) but serves a higher-need population, with 50.87% of students receiving free/reduced lunch and 15.7% chronic absenteeism. Despite these challenges, Flowood has improved steadily, climbing from a 2023–2024 rank of 93rd to 78th in 2025–2026, while Northwest has slipped from an elite 5-star rating (33rd) to a solid 4-star rating (70th).
The performance gap between the two schools is clearly narrowing. Northwest posted a significant 20.2-point drop in 5th-grade math proficiency (from 82.5% to 62.3%), while Flowood posted a substantial 11.4-point gain in 5th-grade science (from 71.2% to 82.6%, close to Northwest's 85.5%). Northwest also shows a relative weak spot in 4th grade, with ELA and math scores well below district averages. For parents, both schools deliver strong, above-average academics within a top-ranked district—Northwest currently leads in overall achievement, while Flowood is the school on the rise.
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