Summary:
Zip code 39759 in Starkville, Mississippi, is served by two elementary schools in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District: Sudduth Elementary School and Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School. Together, these schools enroll nearly 2,000 students and operate as a coordinated two-stage system, with Sudduth serving early learners in Pre-K through 1st grade and Henderson Ward Stewart serving 2nd through 4th grade. Both schools serve predominantly economically disadvantaged populations, with roughly 68–69% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, making the academic results at the upper-elementary school all the more notable.
Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School is the clear standout in this data set. In just one year, its state ranking jumped from the 38th percentile to the 57th percentile, and its star rating improved from 2 to 3 stars. Test scores improved across every grade and subject, with gains of +3 to +8 percentage points. By 2025–2026, Henderson matched or exceeded state averages in 3rd-grade math and both 4th-grade ELA and math. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.6% is far better than the district's 25.6% and the state's 23.9%, a strong sign that consistent attendance is supporting real academic growth.
Sudduth Elementary School plays a critical but different role. As the district's PK–1 school, it lays the academic foundation for students who later feed into Henderson, which is why no state test scores or star ratings are reported for it. The main areas of concern at Sudduth are its higher chronic absenteeism rate of 23.0% and its larger student–teacher ratio of 17.0, compared to Henderson's 13.6% and 15.1. Overall, the district's elementary pipeline appears to be on a steady upward trajectory, with Henderson's strong performance and low absenteeism providing a solid finish to the early-learning experience that begins at Sudduth.
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