The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 48% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brookhaven Elementary School
Brookhaven Elementary School serves third and fourth graders in the Brookhaven School District, sitting downtown on South Church Street near the Lincoln County courthouse. It is a narrow grade band, just two tested years, which gives the school a specific identity as a transition point rather than a full K-through-5 experience. Families arriving here are coming from whatever primary or early-childhood setup the district offers and moving on to an upper elementary or middle school after fourth grade.
The student body is moderate in size for a two-grade school. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic profile of the surrounding community more than any self-selection. The enrollment is predominantly Black, with a substantial White minority and a smaller group of students identifying as two or more races. Asian and Hispanic students make up very small shares. The school is not a charter or magnet, so placement is based on residency rather than application or lottery.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, third grade math stands out as the strongest result, with well over half of tested students scoring proficient or above. Third grade English language arts is also solid, with a clear majority clearing the proficiency bar. Fourth grade tells a different story. Math proficiency drops to roughly half, and ELA proficiency falls below that, with fewer than half of fourth graders reaching proficient. This is a pattern a parent may want to look into further with the school, since the decline from third to fourth is consistent across both subjects and could reflect anything from a cohort difference to curriculum alignment to the transition demands of fourth grade writing and problem-solving. The state did not report participation rates, and no multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether this is a one-year dip or a standing pattern.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No individualized education program rate or English learner rate was reported, which limits the picture of how the school serves students with disabilities or language needs. Staffing, course access, attendance, and discipline data were also not provided, so those dimensions of school life are absent here. Title I status was not reported either, though the high free-and reduced-price lunch share suggests the school likely operates under a similar federal designation.
Brookhaven itself is the county seat of Lincoln County, a city that publicly expanded its boundaries through annexation to bring in surrounding suburban developments, creating a blend of older town core and newer residential outskirts. The downtown centers on the courthouse along US Route 51, with I-55 running along the west side and US Highway 84 along the south. Amtrak's City of New Orleans still stops here, connecting north to Memphis and south to New Orleans. The city is served by The Daily Leader and has a historic downtown with some notable architecture. A statewide magnet high school, the Mississippi School of the Arts, is located in town, though that is separate from the Brookhaven School District. Several Lincoln County public schools sit in the rural areas surrounding the city, operating under a different district.
Housing in the 39601 zip code is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below the Mississippi state mark and well below national levels, and values have dipped modestly over the past year. For a family buying in the area, monthly ownership costs are relatively low by national standards, though current mortgage rates remain elevated. No rental data was available for this zip code, so renters will need to look elsewhere for that picture.
The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes of lasting impact from recent years, and no major new housing developments were identified in the surrounding community research. This is a school where the academic picture is mixed: third grade results are genuinely strong, fourth grade results are weaker, and the missing pieces on staffing, special populations, and programs leave gaps a family would want to fill directly with school staff before making a judgment. What is clear is that Brookhaven Elementary is a small, community-rooted school serving a high-need population in a compact, historic county-seat town with affordable housing and stable population.
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