The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Science. The lowest is 50% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Desoto Central Elementary School
DeSoto Central Elementary School sits in Southaven, Mississippi, a fast-growing suburb just across the state line from Memphis. The school serves third through fifth grades and belongs to the DeSoto County School District, one of the larger districts in the region. With an enrollment that fills its three grade levels evenly, it is a sizable elementary campus for its band, reflecting the residential growth that has defined Southaven for decades.
The community around the school is car-dependent and suburban. Southaven grew from Kemmons Wilson's starter-home subdivisions into Mississippi's third-largest city, and its built environment follows that origin story: residential neighborhoods, strip commercial development, and large retail centers along the I-55 corridor. There is no traditional downtown square. Civic life clusters around modern facilities like the Landers Center arena and Snowden Grove Park, a major sports and recreation complex. Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto is a leading employer, and the retail, hospitality, and logistics sectors along the interstate corridor provide much of the local job base. Many residents commute into Memphis or elsewhere in DeSoto County for work.
The housing market here runs above the state benchmark but below the national one. Typical home values sit in a range that places the area above much of Mississippi while remaining more affordable than many major metro markets nationally. Rents are moderate. With a price-to-income ratio below four and rent taking up less than a third of typical household income, the cost of housing relative to earnings is manageable for many families, though current mortgage rates make buying more expensive than it was a few years ago. Home values have held roughly flat recently.
At DeSoto Central Elementary, the student body is racially diverse. Black students make up the largest single group, followed closely by white students, with a meaningful share of students identifying as two or more races and a smaller Asian and Hispanic presence. A modest portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, lower than many Mississippi elementary schools and consistent with the relatively comfortable income levels of the surrounding suburbs. The school is not a charter or magnet campus. Data on English learners and students receiving special education services was not available, so those population sizes are unknown here.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the school shows solid results. English language arts proficiency runs above half of tested students across all three grades, with the strongest showing in third grade and consistent performance in fourth and fifth. Math proficiency hovers near the halfway mark in each grade, steady but not as strong as the reading results. The standout is fifth-grade science, where a clear majority of students reached proficiency, the highest result the school posts. These are competent, stable outcomes for a suburban elementary, though a parent whose child needs extra math support may want to look into how the school reinforces that area alongside its stronger literacy performance.
Several things we looked for were not available. The state did not report participation rates for the assessments. No multi-year trend data was provided, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving, declining, or holding from prior years. Information on Title I status, school locale classification, discipline data, course offerings, staffing ratios, and attendance was absent. Civil rights data was not reported. A neighbor comparison placing this school against others in its county set was not provided. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as bond issues, curriculum shifts, or construction plans, so there is little to report on that front.
Because DeSoto Central Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school's narrow grade band means it exists to carry children through the upper elementary years before they move on to middle school within the same district. For a family settling in Southaven, this is a school with diverse peers, comfortable suburban surroundings, and reading and science results that stand up well, paired with math performance that is adequate but leaves room for growth.
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