The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Math. The lowest is 49% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Anderson Elementary School
Anderson Elementary School sits on Anderson Street in Booneville, a small North Mississippi town that serves as the seat of Prentiss County. The school is part of the Booneville School District, which covers the inner-city area, while a separate county district handles the outskirts. Anderson serves prekindergarten through fourth grade, which places it below the grades where Mississippi's state testing begins. The tested grades here are third and fourth, and the results from the most recent MAAP assessment cycle give a parent a reasonably clear picture of where the school stands.
In mathematics, Anderson is strong. A large majority of third graders reached proficiency or above, and fourth-grade proficiency was even higher, climbing to a level that stands out as a clear strength. Across both tested grades, math is the subject where Anderson's students are performing most confidently.
Reading results are more mixed. Third-grade English language arts proficiency landed below the halfway mark, with fewer than half of tested students meeting the proficient bar. Fourth grade improved to roughly half proficient, showing some upward movement as students progress through the grades, but still well behind the math performance. This is the kind of gap a parent may want to look into further with the school, asking how reading instruction and intervention are structured in the earlier grades and what supports exist for children who arrive without strong early literacy skills.
The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school serving its grade band. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding community. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a sizable Black population and a smaller multiracial group, along with a handful of Asian and Hispanic students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those population sizes cannot be characterized here.
Booneville itself is a small town with a dual identity. It is the county seat and hosts Northeast Mississippi Community College, which draws students from a five-county region and functions as a major employer and institutional anchor. The downtown Main Street corridor along Church Street serves as the civic and commercial heart, with a Main Street Association that organizes seasonal events like a fall festival, block party, and Christmas parade. The built environment is autocentric, strung along state highways, and street life tends to be event-driven rather than continuous. Public parks with ball fields and community centers provide recreational space, and the surrounding terrain supports hunting and fishing within a short drive. No public transit system or public library branch was identified in available sources.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the Mississippi statewide level and far below national figures, and the local market showed a slight decline over the past year rather than appreciation. For families looking to buy, this keeps the barrier to entry low, though it also reflects a market that is not seeing strong upward pressure. Rent data was not available, so a rental comparison cannot be made here.
The Booneville School District did not surface any parent-relevant changes of lasting impact in the available research. No curriculum reforms, tax shifts, facility projects, or referendums were identified, so nothing on that front can be reported.
For a parent weighing Anderson Elementary, the picture is one of solid math instruction and room to grow in reading, set in a small-town community where housing costs are low and civic life centers on a traditional Main Street and the nearby community college. The school's early-grade focus means families will need to look elsewhere for insight into how students perform in later grades, and the reading results are the area most worth a direct conversation with school staff.
See more original research from School Decision →