Summary:
Zip code 39475 in Purvis, Mississippi, is home to two public elementary schools—Purvis Lower Elementary (PK–2) and Purvis Upper Elementary (3–5)—which together enroll roughly 825 students within the Lamar County School District, a 4-star district ranked 30th of 134 in Mississippi. Both schools feed the same attendance area and share nearly identical demographics, with free/reduced lunch eligibility at 54.24% for the lower campus and 54.64% for the upper campus.
Purvis Upper Elementary is the clear academic leader. Its statewide ranking improved from the 53rd percentile (2023–24) to the 62nd percentile (2025–26), and it posted substantial MAAP gains: 5th grade math jumped +16.3 points to 54.2%, 3rd grade math rose +13.0 points to 65.3%, and 4th grade ELA climbed +12.0 points to 56.1%. Fifth grade science is a standout at 75.2% proficiency, above both district and state averages. By contrast, Purvis Lower Elementary has no recent test data because it serves only PK–2 and does not participate in state MAAP testing; its lone historical ranking from 2010–11 is far too old to be meaningful. Instead, its strengths appear in foundational metrics: a 15.0 student-teacher ratio and a 15.3% chronic absenteeism rate.
Both campuses excel at attendance. Chronic absenteeism is 15.3% at Lower and 14.7% at Upper—both well below the district's 18.6% and the state's 23.9%. Purvis Upper outperformed the state in five of seven tested subjects in 2025–26, though it still trails its own district in 5th grade ELA (49.5% vs. 59.1%) and 4th grade math (47.6% vs. 58.4%). With a slightly leaner student-teacher ratio of 13.1 at the upper campus, these two schools form a coherent PK–5 pipeline: Purvis Lower builds a strong early foundation, and Purvis Upper demonstrates clear upward momentum in math and science. Families in this area get a solid, well-attended elementary experience within a highly rated district.
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