Summary:
Zip code 39474, in Prentiss, Mississippi, is served by a single elementary school: J. E. Johnson Elementary School, a PK-5 campus in the Jeff Davis County School District with 335 students and a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio.
This is a high-poverty school: 99.1% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite that challenge, there are encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism stands at 22.5%, slightly better than the district's 24.2% and the state's 23.9%. Science is the strongest subject, with 64.3% of 5th graders proficient compared to 68.9% for the district and 71.5% for the state. The school also saw notable year-over-year gains: 3rd-grade math jumped from 22.4% to 39.6% proficiency, and 4th-grade ELA rose from 17.8% to 34.5%. The state ranking improved from 321st in 2024–2025 to 298th in 2025–2026, moving from the 16th to the 21st percentile, though the school still holds a 1-star rating.
Substantial achievement gaps remain. In 4th-grade math, only 29.1% of students are proficient versus 51.5% statewide; 5th-grade ELA is 38.1% versus 55.8% statewide. A concern is that 5th-grade ELA fell from 50% to 38.1% in one year, indicating some inconsistency. On the positive side, 5th-grade math (33.3%) and 5th-grade ELA (38.1%) are within about two points of district averages, showing that by upper elementary, the school is performing roughly in line with other schools in its district. With strong gains in lower-grade math, a clear strength in science, and attendance that beats state averages, J. E. Johnson Elementary has momentum to build on—but closing the wide gap to state proficiency levels in math and ELA remains the key challenge.
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