Summary:
Zip code 39482 is served by a single elementary school, Sumrall Elementary School, which enrolls 960 students in grades PK–5 and operates within the Lamar County School District. This school performs well above Mississippi state averages across nearly every subject, and it also outpaces its own district in most grade-level categories. Sumrall Elementary has earned a 4-star rating and ranks in the 78th percentile of Mississippi elementary schools; however, its state ranking has slipped from the 94th percentile (5 stars) in 2023-2024 to its current position, with notable year-over-year declines in upper-elementary subjects.
In the 2025-2026 school year, Sumrall Elementary exceeded state proficiency averages in all seven reported grade-level tests. The strongest results were in 3rd grade math (81% proficient vs. 48.8% statewide) and 3rd grade ELA (75.2% vs. 48.5%). However, 5th grade is a relative weak spot: only 50.7% of 5th graders were proficient in math, barely above the state average (49.6%) and below the district average (52.0%), while 5th grade ELA proficiency dropped 10.3 points to 63.8%. The school also trails the district in 4th grade math (55.9% vs. 58.4%). Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength at 16.1%, well below both the district (18.6%) and state (23.9%).
Despite economic challenges — about 44% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — Sumrall Elementary delivers strong academic outcomes, suggesting effective instruction and a supportive community. The most pressing concern is a pattern of widespread declines between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, including an 11.6-point drop in 5th grade math and an 8.9-point drop in 5th grade science. These declines likely explain the school's fall from the 94th to the 78th percentile in statewide rankings. Parents should view Sumrall Elementary as a high-quality school with excellent early-elementary performance, but monitor whether recent upper-grade declines are a temporary fluctuation or the beginning of a longer trend.
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