The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Science. The lowest is 58% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Anniston Avenue Elementary School
Anniston Avenue Elementary sits in Gulfport, the second-largest city in Mississippi, a coastal place shaped by its port, its military installations, and a tourism economy built around white-sand beaches and casino gaming. The city grew as a railroad terminus and lumber port and rebuilt itself after Hurricane Katrina, adding civic anchors like the Mississippi Aquarium and an expanded Armed Forces Retirement Home. Interstate 10 cuts east to west through the middle of the city, U.S. 90 hugs the coast through downtown, and the built environment leans heavily toward auto travel rather than walkability. Publicly reported major employers include Memorial Hospital, the Naval Construction Battalion Center, and the Gulfport and Harrison County school districts themselves. The surrounding housing market is modest by national standards, with home values in the school's zip code sitting a bit above the statewide benchmark and well below the national one. Rents are affordable relative to income. The cost of buying remains higher than renting here, with mortgage rates hovering in the mid-six range.
This is a pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade school in the Gulfport School District, serving a mid-sized elementary enrollment. The student body is racially mixed, with white and Black students each making up roughly equal shares, a sizable Hispanic contingent, and smaller groups of multiracial, Asian, and American Indian students. Nearly every child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school firmly in the category of high-poverty elementary settings. Data on English learners and special-education enrollment was not available, so a parent wanting detail on those services would need to ask the school directly.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments for the most recent school year, Anniston Avenue produced a mixed but generally solid profile. Fifth-grade science was the standout, with roughly three-quarters of tested students reaching proficiency, a strong result for this grade band. Fourth-grade math was also a bright spot, with a solid majority proficient. Third-grade results in both math and English language arts were moderate, with a slight majority clearing the proficiency bar. Fifth-grade English language arts was likewise respectable, with a clear majority proficient. The soft spots were fifth-grade math, where about half the students reached proficiency, and fourth-grade English language arts, which landed in a middling range. A parent may want to look into how the school supports math instruction as children move toward the transition to middle school, given that fifth-grade math results were the weakest link in an otherwise capable performance picture. Participation rates were not reported, so it is hard to know from the data alone whether tested students represented the full enrolled population.
The school is a traditional public school, not a charter and not a magnet. Information on Title I status, discipline practices, course offerings, staffing ratios, and attendance patterns was not available in the data provided. Program offerings were not listed, so families interested in enrichment, intervention, or extracurricular options should contact the school or district for specifics. The Gulfport School District's recent strategic priorities or program changes were not surfaced in the available research, so there is little to report on district-level initiatives that might shape the classroom experience here.
What the data does show is an elementary school serving a high-need population in a working coastal city, posting assessment results that hold their own across most subjects and grades, with particular strength in fifth-grade science. For a family living in or considering the Gulfport area, Anniston Avenue offers a diverse peer environment and a standard public-elementary pathway, with academic performance that is steady if uneven in spots. The gaps in available information on special populations and school-environment details mean a visit or a call to the front office would round out the picture before any enrollment decision.
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