The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in Math. The lowest is 16% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mathis Elementary
Mathis Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade in the small city of Hayti, in Missouri’s southeastern bootheel. It is one of two elementary schools in the Hayti R-II district and, along with Hayti High School, forms the entirety of the district’s school system. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
Hayti itself is a rural, car-dependent community that has seen steady population decline for decades. The local economy rests on retail, health care, and transportation and warehousing. Median household income and home values are well below national averages, and a substantial share of residents live below the poverty line. Every student at Mathis Elementary qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a strong indicator of the economic circumstances that families in the district face. The housing market has softened in recent years, and no major new developments have been publicly reported. For a family considering a move here, the context is one of economic contraction and limited opportunity for growth.
The school’s enrollment, which spans preschool through sixth grade, tilts heavily toward students who identify as Black, with a smaller share of white students and a very small Hispanic population. This demographic profile is typical of many schools in the Mississippi Delta region. Because the school does not serve grades beyond sixth, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s charter status and its lack of magnet designation are straightforward; there is no alternative program or special mission that would alter the educational experience compared to a standard neighborhood elementary school.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year reveal a pattern that a parent will want to examine closely. In mathematics, proficiency rates varied significantly by grade level. Third and fourth grade showed very low levels, while fifth grade posted a much stronger result, and sixth grade fell back again. In English language arts, the pattern was more consistently low across third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with no grade reaching a level that would be considered secure. Science results, available only for fifth grade, were similarly low. Taken together, the overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades placed the school slightly above the midpoint of districts in Pemiscot County, but the median in that county is itself quite low, so this positioning reflects the local context more than a strong performance. A parent should interpret these numbers as a signal that the school faces serious academic challenges, and would be wise to discuss specific instructional interventions and support structures with the principal.
The school’s size feels intimate, serving several hundred students across the elementary and middle school grades. That scale means most teachers know every child by name, and a parent may find a tight-knit atmosphere. However, the absence of certain data fields in the available record makes it hard to assess other dimensions of school life. Information on special education enrollment, English learner populations, chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing ratios is not present in the public data we have. The district’s recent history shows no major publicly reported changes that would alter the school’s operations.
For a parent weighing this school, the central facts are the community’s economic hardship, the school’s low overall test results, and the intimate setting. Families who prioritize a small, neighborhood-connected school in a rural area may find that Mathis Elementary offers a familiar environment. But the academic performance data suggests that a family should ask pointed questions about how the school supports students who are below grade level, what programs exist for enrichment, and what progress the school has made over the last several years. Without those conversations, the data alone gives a parent reason to proceed with caution.
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