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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 39452

At a glance

Schools

4,049

Students

Top rankedBenndale Elementary School60^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Agricola Elementary School up 62 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Benndale Elementary School 9.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

2★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

Zip code 39452 (Lucedale, MS) is served by 8 public schools in the George County School District, spanning pre-K through 12th grade with about 4,049 students. The district itself is rated 4 stars and ranks 27th out of 134 districts in Mississippi (80th percentile). While most schools are elementary campuses, the area also includes a middle school and a high school. The elementary schools are generally strong, with five of six tested schools earning 4 stars in 2025-2026.

Among the standouts, Benndale Elementary School is the highest-ranked school in the zip code (60th of 377 elementary schools, 84th percentile) and has shown dramatic improvement over the past three years, moving from 183rd to 60th. It also boasts the highest overall MAAP proficiency average (~66.4%) and excellent 5th grade science (94.1% proficient). Rocky Creek Elementary School is the most consistent, with 4 stars three years running and strong English Language Arts results. George County High School earns high marks for its 96% graduation rate and strong biology and English II scores, though its chronic absenteeism is high. The clear weak point is George County Middle School, which ranks in the 45th percentile with only 2 stars and math/ELA proficiency below state averages.

Across the district, elementary science is a major strength, with every school meeting or exceeding the state average. However, chronic absenteeism rises sharply at the secondary level — over 40% at the high school and 38% at the middle school, compared to the state average of 23.9%. Interestingly, poverty does not fully predict performance: LT Taylor Intermediate School has the highest free/reduced lunch rate but the lowest elementary proficiency, while Benndale has similar poverty yet the highest proficiency, suggesting that small class sizes and school-level factors make a difference. LC Hatcher Elementary School, a PK–2 school, has no test data and should not be compared directly. Overall, the zip code has a strong elementary foundation, but the middle school transition remains the biggest challenge.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)						MAAP Mathematics (2026)						MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Science (2026)		MAAP Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Agricola Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6165 Hwy 613 S	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-8447	543	34	16.0	56.5%	401 (73.8%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	124 (22.8%)	72.2	98^th of 377 public elementary schools	74.0%		59.2	160^th of 383 public elementary schools	58.2%	62	73.1	40.8	71.7	62.8			73.1	48.7	66.7	45.7					88.4			$9,263
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	14159 Hwy 26 West	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-2429	660	41	16.0	70.2%	487 (73.8%)	24 (3.6%)	28 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (17.9%)	74.2	90^th of 377 public elementary schools	76.1%		72.1	101^st of 383 public elementary schools	73.6%	11	55.8	75.7	63.1	46.4			48.4	83.3	52.3	64.8					89.3			$8,201
George County High School	Public	9-12	9284 Hwy 63s	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 947-3116	1,115	84	13.2	52.5%	863 (77.4%)	113 (10.1%)	61 (5.5%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (6.5%)	71.4	57^th of 224 public high schools	74.6%		67.7	80^th of 232 public high schools	65.5%	23													65.9	59.6			79.6	$10,494
Lc Hatcher Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	689 Church St	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-3110	280	19	14.6	71.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																		$12,103
Rocky Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2183 Rocky Creek Road	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-3886	402	28	14.1	56.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	77.6	74^th of 377 public elementary schools	80.4%		76.5	73^rd of 383 public elementary schools	80.9%	1	70.4	58.4	76.3	64.6			61.1	56.3	50.0	64.6					78.9			$10,495
George County Middle School	Public	7-8	330 Church Street	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-3106	618	44	14.1	67.3%	481 (77.8%)	53 (8.6%)	34 (5.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.4%)	44.1	143^rd of 263 public middle schools	45.6%		40.7	164^th of 266 public middle schools	38.3%	21					28.8	37.7					43.4	37.4				64.8		$9,831
Lt Taylor Intermediate School	Public	3-6	159 Mable St	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 947-6065	293	19	15.0	74.7%	194 (66.2%)	48 (16.4%)	17 (5.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (10.9%)	47	198^th of 377 public elementary schools	47.5%		46.3	207^th of 383 public elementary schools	46.0%	9	45.9	43.2	51.9	47.3			43.4	37.4	39.5	59.5					71.6			$10,319
Benndale Elementary School	Public	K-6	5204 Hwy 26 West	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 766-6341	138	14	9.7	72.5%	102 (73.9%)	24 (17.4%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.5%)	80.5	60^th of 377 public elementary schools	84.1%		67.7	122^nd of 383 public elementary schools	68.1%	62	72.7	72.7	58.8	53.9			68.2	45.5	70.5	61.6					94.1			$14,759
George County Alternative	Public, Alternative	1-12	9284 Old HWY 63 South	Lucedale	39452	George County	George County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 947-6993	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 39452

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Moss Point	3.83 mi	10	63^rd
Lucedale	7.21 mi	9	44^th
Vancleave	15.25 mi	5	2^nd
Gautier	20.88 mi	6	62^nd
Pascagoula	23.17 mi	13	68^th

See the top MS Mississippi cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.