Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 39530

ZIP code 39530 is home to three elementary-level schools serving grades PK through 8: Creekbend Elementary And Middle, Gorenflo Elementary School, and Nichols Elementary School, with enrollment ranging from an early-childhood center to a large K–8 campus.

The clear academic leader is Creekbend Elementary And Middle, a K–8 school in Harrison County School District that ranks in the top 10% of Mississippi schools and earns 5 stars. It serves 996 students and posts strong proficiency rates well above state averages, especially in math and science. About 61% of its students receive free/reduced lunch, and its chronic absenteeism rate is a low 14.7%. In contrast, Gorenflo Elementary School in Biloxi Public School District serves grades 1–4 with 326 students and faces much higher economic disadvantage—nearly 95% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Its test scores are below its district and often near the state average, with a state ranking around the middle. Nichols Elementary School serves only PK–K (203 students), so it has no state test scores, but it stands out with the best attendance in the ZIP code at just 7.8% chronic absenteeism, far below the state rate of 23.9%.

Because these schools have different grade spans and belong to two different districts, direct comparisons are limited. Still, a clear pattern emerges: Creekbend has the lowest poverty rate and the highest achievement, while Gorenflo has the highest poverty and the lowest scores. All three schools beat the state chronic absenteeism average, suggesting strong attendance across the area. Creekbend remains an elite school despite a slight dip from the 95th to the 90th percentile, with math as its biggest strength. At Gorenflo, 4th graders outperform 3rd graders in both reading and math, hinting at possible progress during the school year. Overall, families in 39530 have very different options depending on grade level: an academically strong K–8 school, a high-poverty 1–4 school, and a promising early-childhood center with excellent attendance.