The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Math. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Henderson/ward-stewart Elementary
Henderson/Ward-Stewart Elementary sits in Starkville, Mississippi, serving second through fourth graders in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. It is a large school for just three grade levels, with an enrollment that fills several classrooms per grade. The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial White minority and smaller Asian and Hispanic populations. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class and middle-income mix that characterizes much of the area around the school.
Starkville is a college town built around Mississippi State University, and the university's presence shapes nearly everything about the community. The city's economy runs on advanced research, manufacturing, retail, and tourism tied to the campus population. The median age is young, a reflection of the student-heavy population. The Cotton District, developed in the 1960s as North America's first New Urbanist community, sits between downtown and the campus and functions as a compact, walkable student quarter with restaurants, bars, and dense residential units. Main Street carries much of the civic and commercial life, with game-day events and community gatherings centered there. Outside that corridor, the city is more sprawling and auto-oriented, with US 82 running as a bypass across the north. The surrounding region retains its agricultural character, with timber, cattle, and dairying still active. Publicly reported information from the district notes that Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated earned its first-ever A-rating from the Mississippi Department of Education in September 2024, based on the prior year's state assessment performance. The district also operates a modified calendar with optional intersession days called "Jacket Thrive," which provide accelerated learning and targeted skill-building during fall and spring breaks. That calendar structure has lasting impact on family scheduling, so parents considering this school should weigh whether the intersession model fits their routines.
On state assessments, Henderson/Ward-Stewart's results tell a mixed but not discouraging story. The school uses the MAAP, Mississippi's regular state assessment, with proficiency defined as scoring at levels four or five. In third-grade math, proficiency sits just shy of the halfway mark. Fourth-grade math is slightly stronger, approaching half of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts follows a similar pattern but starts lower, with third-grade proficiency falling below the math rate, and fourth-grade ELA climbing closer to the math level. The improvement from third to fourth grade in both subjects suggests some positive trajectory as students move through the school. That said, the ELA results in particular leave room for growth, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports reading development, especially for students entering below grade level.
Participation rate data was not available, and multi-year trend comparisons could not be computed, so there is no way to assess from this data whether these results represent improvement or decline over time. The school does not have a graduation rate or high school-level metrics, which is expected given that it serves only early elementary grades. Second grade is not assessed under Mississippi's state testing framework, which is why results appear only for grades three and four. Information on staffing, course access, discipline, attendance, and specific programs was not available in the data provided. Special population data, including IEP and English learner counts, was also missing.
The housing market in the school's zip code shows typical values above the state benchmark but below the national figure, and rents are moderate relative to income. Mortgage costs run higher than rent, which may factor into decisions for families considering buying versus renting in the area. Home values have been rising modestly year over year, while rents have increased at a faster clip, which could affect household budgets for renters in particular.
For a parent, the picture at Henderson/Ward-Stewart is one of a large, early-elementary school in a university town with moderate academic results that trend upward between grades, a student body reflecting the community's racial and economic diversity, and a district that has recently earned recognition for its academic standing. The gaps in available data, particularly around staffing, programs, and special populations, mean that a fuller picture would require direct conversation with the school.
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