The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 6% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lester Elementary School
Lester Elementary School sits on Oakhurst Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, part of the Jackson Public School District. It serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a compact enrollment that fills a single elementary building. Every student at Lester qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Black, with a small handful of Hispanic and multiracial students. The school is not a charter or magnet; it operates as a traditional public elementary within the state's largest school district.
State assessment results from the most recent year paint a difficult picture in the core subjects. Math proficiency is very low across the tested grades, with only a handful of students reaching proficient or above in each grade. English language arts follows a similar pattern in the lower grades, though fifth grade shows a stronger result, with a more encouraging share of students meeting proficiency. Science results for fifth grade stand out as a relative bright spot, with a solid portion of students scoring proficient or above. Average scale scores are reported for each tested grade, and participation rates were not available in the data provided. A parent considering Lester may want to ask the school directly about how it supports reading and math growth in the earlier grades, and whether the fifth-grade science and ELA gains reflect something the school is building on.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining over time. Special population figures, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, were not reported in the data provided. Staffing, attendance, discipline, and course access information were also absent.
Jackson itself is Mississippi's capital and largest city, sitting on the Pearl River at the crossroads of Interstates 20 and 55. The city carries deep civic weight: state government offices, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, the Museum of Mississippi History, Jackson State University, and Millsaps College all anchor the community. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is the city's largest employer, followed by Jackson Public Schools itself and the Nissan manufacturing plant. The metro area remains the economic engine of the state, even as the core city has experienced substantial population decline over the past decade and faced a widely reported water infrastructure crisis. Development pressure has shifted toward suburban Madison and Rankin counties, where employers like Amazon have located.
The housing market around Lester tells a story of affordability on paper but limited purchasing power in practice. Home values in the surrounding zip code are far below the state and national benchmarks, though they have been climbing at a brisk year-over-year pace. Rents are modest by national standards and have risen sharply in the past year. With estimated mortgage costs well below typical rents, ownership is relatively accessible for households with stable income, though the price-to-income ratio in the area sits just above the national figure, reflecting the gap between local wages and housing costs even in an inexpensive market.
At the district level, Jackson Public School District recently adopted a Strategic Plan covering the next several years, which is intended to guide curriculum, instruction, and resource allocation. Publicly reported details about specific curriculum changes, referendum activity, or property tax shifts tied to this plan were not available. A parent trying to understand how this plan will affect Lester specifically would need to ask the district or the school directly.
Lester is a small, community elementary school serving a universally low-income student population in a city wrestling with major infrastructure and economic challenges. Its science results for fifth graders offer a measure of encouragement, but the broader proficiency picture in math and early ELA is weak. Families weighing this school should look closely at what academic interventions are in place, how the district's new strategic plan will reach this campus, and what support structures exist for the specific needs of its students.
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