The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Raines Elementary School
Raines Elementary School sits on Flag Chapel Road in west Jackson, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Jackson Public School District. It is a traditional public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, drawing from a neighborhood where housing values run far below both the Mississippi statewide benchmark and the national figure. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home in the school's zip code is modest, and the price-to-income ratio sits just above the national average, meaning ownership is within reach for many local households even as the broader city grapples with disinvestment. Rent data was not available for this area.
The student body is small for an elementary school spanning seven grade levels. Nearly every student is Black, and the entire enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is not identified as a Title I campus in the data provided, though the universal FRPL rate reflects a similar level of economic need. Data on English learners and students with Individualized Education Programs was not reported, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about services in those areas. Information on staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, and course or program offerings was not available in the sources reviewed, and those gaps limit what can be said about the classroom environment and student support structure.
Academic results come from the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program testing. In English language arts, third graders posted a proficiency rate approaching two in five, a reasonably solid starting point. Performance dips as students move up: fourth grade lands around a third proficient, and fifth grade falls below that. The pattern suggests some early literacy strength that narrows in the upper elementary years, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports reading growth between third and fifth grade.
Math follows a steeper decline. Third grade sits in the mid-thirties for proficiency, but fourth and fifth grade drop sharply, with only a small fraction of tested students reaching proficient. This is a clear soft spot, and families considering the school should ask about math intervention, tutoring, or curriculum adjustments, particularly for children entering fourth or fifth grade. Science, tested only in fifth grade, was the relative bright spot, with nearly half of students reaching proficiency, outpacing the school's own math and ELA results at that grade level.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, stable, or declining over time. A parent looking for direction should request the school's most recent state report card to see whether scores have moved.
Jackson itself shapes the context. The city is Mississippi's capital and largest municipality, home to state government, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson State University, Millsaps College, and a Nissan manufacturing plant. Publicly reported accounts describe a sprawling, auto-dependent city laid out on a historic grid, with cultural anchors including the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History near downtown. Jackson has also experienced substantial population decline over the past decade, and a widely reported water crisis in 2022 underscored the infrastructure pressures facing the core city. Development has shifted toward suburban Madison and Rankin counties, where major employers including Amazon have located. The Jackson Public School District recently adopted a Strategic Plan covering the next several years, which will guide curriculum, instruction, and resource allocation, though specific program details tied to that plan were not available.
For a family weighing Raines, the school offers a small, community-rooted elementary setting with a nearly uniform peer group and full economic need across the enrollment. The early literacy and fifth-grade science results are encouraging relative to the school's other measures, while upper-elementary math is the area of clearest concern. The missing information on staffing, programs, and student services means a visit and direct conversation with school leadership would fill in what the data does not.
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