The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Math. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Leflore County Elementary School
Leflore County Elementary School sits in Itta Bena, a small rural Delta town in Leflore County, Mississippi. The school serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District, a district formed from the merger of the Greenwood Public School District and the Leflore County School District. Itta Bena developed as a cotton plantation trading center and retains a quiet, rural character, with a population that has declined steadily since its mid-century peak as agricultural jobs in the surrounding county have fallen away. Mississippi Valley State University sits just northwest of town and serves as the area's primary institutional anchor, with its football stadium located in Itta Bena itself. The housing market here is among the most affordable in the state, with home values far below both state and national benchmarks, and recent data shows those values have been declining further. This is a community with limited commercial activity and few identified employers beyond the university and city government.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade band. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which speaks to the concentrated economic disadvantage in the area. The student body is predominantly Black or African American, with a smaller Hispanic share and very few students of other racial backgrounds. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those figures are unavailable here.
State assessment results from the most recent school year paint a mixed picture across grade levels. In math, proficiency rates vary widely. Third grade posted a low proficiency rate, fifth grade was similarly low, and fourth grade landed in a middling range. Sixth grade stood out as a relative bright spot, with a majority of tested students reaching proficiency. In English language arts, the pattern was more consistent across grades, with rates clustering in the low-to-mid range, fourth grade being the strongest. Science was tested only in fifth grade, and the proficiency rate there was modest. Participation rates were not reported for any grade or subject. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is difficult to say whether these results represent improvement or decline over time. A parent looking closely at the third and fifth grade math results may want to ask the school what supports are in place for those grades.
Because this is an elementary school serving only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate, no AP or career-pathway data, and no college-readiness information to report. Those measures simply do not apply to a school with this grade range. Information on course access, staffing, discipline, attendance, and Title I status was not available in the provided data, so those aspects of the school environment cannot be characterized here.
One piece of information a parent should weigh carefully: publicly reported district documents indicate that Leflore County Elementary School has been closed and merged into Greenwood Middle School as part of the consolidated district's ongoing reorganization. The school's operational status in the federal database still lists it as open, and the most recent assessment data was reported for it, but the district's own publicly reported changes describe the closure as part of a broader wave of consolidations that also affected Claudine F. Brown Elementary School and Amanda Elzy Junior High School. A family considering this school should confirm its current operating status directly with the Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District, as the available evidence points to a transition in progress.
For families living in or near Itta Bena, the broader question is what educational options remain after consolidation. The district has reduced its school count substantially in recent years, and the merger of Leflore County Elementary into Greenwood Middle means younger students from Itta Bena may now face a different school assignment and potentially a longer commute. Housing is inexpensive relative to the state and nation, but the declining values and limited local employment suggest that families choosing to stay here are doing so for community and cultural ties rather than economic opportunity. The proximity of Mississippi Valley State University gives the area a cultural and institutional presence that most towns of this size lack, and that proximity may matter for families thinking about longer-term educational horizons.
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