Summary:
Elementary schools in zip code 39520, serving the Bay Saint Louis / Bay St. Louis area of Mississippi, include two public schools that together cover grades PK–6: South Hancock Elementary School (PK–5, enrollment 480) and North Bay Elementary (grades 3–6, enrollment 348). Both schools serve communities with significant economic need—over two-thirds of students at each school qualify for free or reduced lunch—but their academic profiles are quite different, with North Bay Elementary clearly leading the area.
North Bay, part of the top-ranked Bay Waveland School District, earned a 5-star rating and ranks in the 90th percentile statewide, while South Hancock Elementary holds a 3-star rating and a 62nd-percentile rank within the Hancock School District. The most striking difference is in upper-grade performance. In the 2025–2026 school year, North Bay’s 5th grade math proficiency reached 81.9% versus the state average of 49.6%, and its students' scores improve or hold steady from 3rd through 5th grade. South Hancock, on the other hand, shows a dramatic, persistent drop after 3rd grade: math proficiency fell from 83.3% in 3rd grade to just 38.1% in 4th grade, repeating a similar pattern from the prior year. This suggests a transition or curriculum alignment challenge at South Hancock that does not appear at North Bay.
For parents comparing the two, North Bay is the stronger and more consistent choice, with stable growth, a top district, and a chronic absenteeism rate (23.1%) near the state average. South Hancock has promising early-grade results and strong 5th grade science scores (81.0%), but its upper-elementary declines, higher chronic absenteeism (27.7%), and lower overall ranking create real concerns. Both schools exceed state averages in science, but the gap in math and reading across grades 4–6 makes North Bay Elementary the clear standout for families seeking consistent academic progress through elementary school.
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