The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Science. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Reuben B. Myers Canton School of Ar
Reuben B. Myers Canton School of Arts and Sciences sits on Old Yazoo Road in Canton, Mississippi, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Canton Public School District. The school is a traditional public school, neither charter nor magnet, and its enrollment is modest for its grade band. Every student in the building qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a reflection of the economic conditions in the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly Black, with a small Hispanic presence and a handful of students identifying as white or two or more races. Data on English learners and students with disabilities was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments for the 2024-25 school year, the school's results paint a mixed but not unpromising picture for an elementary serving a high-poverty community. In English language arts, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grades hovered in a band from the low forties to the high forties, with fifth grade posting the strongest result. Those are solid marks for a school where every student comes from an economically disadvantaged household. Math results were more uneven. Third grade performed best, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency, but fourth grade slipped considerably, and fifth grade landed in between. A parent may want to look into the fourth-grade math dip with the school to understand whether it reflects a cohort issue or a curricular gap. Science was the standout: fifth-grade proficiency was strikingly high, well above what most would expect given the school's other numbers, suggesting that the school's arts-and-sciences identity may have real classroom traction in that subject.
Because this is an elementary school serving only through grade five, there is no graduation rate to report, and no Advanced Placement, dual-credit, or career-pathway data applies to students at this age. Participation rates for the state assessments were not reported, which limits how confidently one can read the proficiency figures, though the tested counts appear consistent with the school's enrollment by grade.
Canton itself is the county seat of Madison County, a city with a layered identity. A large Nissan automotive assembly plant sits just outside the southwest city limits and is the dominant employer in the area, shaping the local economy and tax base. The historic courthouse square, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, functions as a cultural and retail district, and the city leans into its blues heritage, its film-production history, and the bi-annual Canton Flea Market, which draws large crowds. The east side of town holds much of the historic housing stock. Publicly reported sources note that Canton's population has declined over recent census cycles, and the neighboring city of Gluckstadt to the south may be absorbing some suburban growth pressure. The housing market reflects a modest community: typical home values in the school's zip code run above the statewide benchmark but well below national figures, and rents are affordable relative to income. A family considering the area would find homeownership within reach compared to most of the country, though the local economy has its constraints.
The Canton Public School District has seen its graduation rate rise in recent years, publicly reported as ranking among the upper portion of Mississippi districts, which may signal a district on an upward trajectory even if those gains play out at the high school level rather than here. For a parent weighing Reuben B. Myers, the school's strongest selling point is its fifth-grade science performance and its relatively steady ELA results across grades, set against a community where poverty is the baseline condition rather than the exception. The math results, particularly in fourth grade, are the area most worth asking about. This is a school doing credible work in difficult circumstances, with clear room to grow in specific subjects and grades.
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