The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in Science. The lowest is 15% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcevans School
McEvans School was a public school in Shaw, Mississippi, part of the West Bolivar Consolidated School District. Publicly reported information indicates the school is now closed, so the picture here is a historical one, drawn from the last available state assessment data. The school served elementary and middle grades, with tested grades spanning third through eighth. Because the school no longer operates, families considering the area would be looking at whatever current configuration the district has put in place rather than this campus itself.
On the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, proficiency rates at McEvans were low across nearly every tested grade and subject. In mathematics, the strongest results appeared in third and fourth grade, where roughly a quarter to just under a third of students reached proficient or above. From fifth grade onward, math proficiency dropped sharply, with the lowest point in fifth grade and similarly low rates in sixth, seventh, and eighth. English language arts followed a related pattern, with the best showing in seventh grade and lower rates elsewhere, particularly in third and fifth. Science was tested only in fifth and eighth grade, and proficiency there sat in the lower range as well. These are difficult results, and a parent reviewing this school's record would want to understand what supports were in place and what the district has done since closure to address academic needs for students in this community. The tested groups were small in each grade, which means a few students moving in or out of proficiency could shift the picture meaningfully from year to year.
Enrollment figures, demographic breakdowns, free and reduced-price lunch rates, and special population data were not available in the provided materials. Without these, it is hard to characterize the student body or the level of economic need the school was contending with, though the surrounding community offers some context.
Shaw sits in the Mississippi Delta, a small, predominantly residential town that has been losing population for decades. Publicly reported sources describe steady decline from earlier census counts through the most recent estimates, with no major housing developments or growth projects on record. Commercial activity is limited, as is typical of small Delta communities. The town has a Mississippi Blues Trail marker honoring David "Honeyboy" Edwards, a native son. No information on major employers, parks, or public transit was found.
Housing in the area is very inexpensive relative to state and national benchmarks. The typical home value in the school's zip code sits well below the Mississippi statewide figure and far below the national one, and values have been declining. For a family already tied to the area, housing costs would be low. For a family weighing a move, the declining market is part of the broader economic picture of the region.
The West Bolivar Consolidated School District underwent restructuring in 2020, publicly reported sources note, when West Bolivar High School was moved into the former middle school building in Rosedale to create a unified seventh-through-twelfth-grade campus. The locale brief also indicates that McEvans and Shaw High School had merged in 2020 and then separated again in 2024. These shifts mean the educational landscape in this district has been in flux, and parents would want to confirm directly with the district which schools are currently operating and where students are assigned.
No data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, graduation rates, or civil-rights indicators was available for McEvans. The school served only elementary and middle grades, so graduation rates would not apply to this campus in any case. Program offerings were not provided. Participation rates for the state assessments were also missing.
What the record shows is a small Delta school that struggled academically across tested subjects and grades, in a community facing long-term population and economic decline, within a district that has restructured its facilities in recent years. The school is now closed. Families looking at Shaw today should work from current district assignments and ask directly what academic supports are in place for the students this school once served.
See more original research from School Decision →