The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Science. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lake Elementary School
Lake Elementary School sits on Mt. Vernon Avenue in Jackson, Mississippi, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Jackson Public School District. It is a small neighborhood elementary school, one of many spread across Mississippi's capital city. The school is not a charter or magnet school. Its enrollment is modest for its grade band, and every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places it among the most economically concentrated schools in the district. The student body is almost entirely Black, with a very small number of Hispanic, multiracial, and white students.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, Lake Elementary's English language arts performance is a relative strength. Across third, fourth, and fifth grades, roughly half of tested students reached proficiency or above, with third grade posting the strongest result and proficiency holding above the midpoint through the upper elementary grades. Math results are more mixed. Third and fifth grade landed close to each other in a middling range, while fourth grade dipped well below that. A parent may want to look into the fourth-grade math outcome with the school, since the drop is pronounced relative to the grades on either side. Fifth-grade science stands out as a clear bright spot, with a large majority of tested students reaching proficiency, a result well above what one would expect from the school's math and ELA pattern. Because the tested cohort in each grade is small, year-to-year results can swing with the group, and the data does not include participation rates, so a parent would do well to confirm testing conditions directly.
Several data points the page would normally carry are absent here. Special population figures, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, were not available. Staffing, attendance, discipline, course access, and civil-rights data were also missing. Programs information was not provided. The school does not have a graduation rate, which is expected because it serves only elementary grades. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability.
The surrounding community shapes what Lake Elementary families contend with day to day. Jackson is Mississippi's capital and largest city, built along the Pearl River at the crossing of Interstates 20 and 55. It is a sprawling, auto-dependent Sun Belt city where state government, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a Nissan manufacturing plant anchor the regional economy. Jackson Public Schools is itself one of the city's largest employers. The broader metro area remains the largest in the state and continues to generate economic activity, but the core city has lost a substantial share of its population over the past decade, the steepest decline of any major American city in that period. Retail and development have shifted toward suburban Madison and Rankin counties. The city has also faced serious infrastructure strain, including a widely reported water-system failure. These conditions do not define the school, but they form the backdrop families live in.
Housing in the school's zip code is inexpensive by any standard. Typical home values sit far below both the state and national benchmarks, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are low relative to incomes. Rent data was not available, but the price-to-income ratio suggests that owning a home in this area is within reach for many households on a national comparison, even with current mortgage rates above six percent. For families prioritizing affordability and a short drive to a small neighborhood elementary, this is part of the picture.
At the district level, Jackson Public Schools recently adopted a Strategic Plan covering 2024 through 2029, which is publicly reported and expected to guide curriculum, instruction, and resource allocation across the district. Specifics about how that plan will affect individual schools like Lake Elementary were not available, but it signals that district leadership is setting multi-year priorities.
Lake Elementary is a small, community-rooted elementary school serving a universally low-income student population in a city navigating real challenges. Its ELA results are solid for its context, fifth-grade science is a genuine strength, and fourth-grade math is a soft spot worth asking about. Families considering this school should weigh the warmth and intimacy of a small elementary setting against the limited program and enrichment data available, and should plan to talk with the school directly about what the new district strategic plan means for classrooms here.
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