The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 54% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Biloxi Upper Elementary
Biloxi Upper Elementary sits on Father Ryan Avenue in Biloxi, a Gulf Coast city shaped by its mix of residential neighborhoods, a beachfront casino-tourism corridor, and Keesler Air Force Base. The school serves only fifth and sixth grades, a narrow two-year band that bridges elementary and middle school. It is part of Biloxi Public School District. The enrollment is mid-sized for a two-grade school, with roughly even numbers across both grades. The student body reflects the city's mixed character. White students form the largest single group, Black students are close behind, and Hispanic students make up a meaningful share, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school firmly in the category of serving a working-class community. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so those figures are left out rather than estimated.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the school's results tell a generally positive story with some variation across subjects and grades. In English language arts, fifth graders show a solid majority reaching proficiency, while sixth grade dips to just above half. Math follows a different pattern, with fifth grade at about half proficient and sixth grade climbing to a clearer majority. The strongest result by far is fifth-grade science, where better than three quarters of students reached proficiency, a genuinely strong showing that stands out among the reported subjects. Participation rates were not reported, and no multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to characterize whether performance is improving or declining over time. A parent comparing these results to state averages would want to look at the data sections on this page for the specific figures, but the qualitative read is that the school performs respectably across most measures and especially well in science.
Because the school stops at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate, no college-readiness data, and no AP or career-pathway information to report. Those gaps reflect the grade band, not anything missing from the school's offerings. Program details such as magnet status, course access, staffing ratios, attendance figures, and discipline data were not available in the provided material, so this narrative cannot speak to them. A parent considering this school may want to ask the district directly about gifted programming, intervention services, and how the transition to middle school is handled for sixth graders leaving this building.
The housing market around the school is affordable by most standards. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Mississippi state benchmark and dramatically below national figures. Rents are modest, and the estimated rent-to-income burden is manageable for a typical household. Home prices have ticked down slightly over the past year, while the state and national benchmarks have held steady or risen modestly. For a family looking to buy, the area offers entry-level pricing relative to much of the country, though mortgage rates remain elevated by recent historical standards.
Biloxi itself is a city in transition. Publicly reported sources describe a place still reshaping itself after Hurricane Katrina, with ongoing redevelopment of commercial properties along the Highway 90 beachfront corridor and a population that has declined modestly since the 2020 census. The local economy rests on three legs: Keesler Air Force Base, which has driven Biloxi's growth since World War II; the casino resort industry, which lines the beach along U.S. 90; and state government offices anchored in the Bolton State Building. The city has a walkable downtown historic district combining the East Howard Avenue and Lameuse Street areas, but the broader layout is auto-oriented, with Interstate 10 running through the north and highways serving as primary connectors. Transit options are limited, though Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service recently began serving the city.
The district brief did not surface any specific parent-relevant changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or facility plans, so this narrative does not invent any. What the available picture shows is a two-year school doing solid academic work in an affordable, culturally mixed coastal city, with science as a particular bright spot and English language arts and math holding their own at different points across the two grades.
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