The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Science. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Spann Elementary School
Spann Elementary School sits on Brecon Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Jackson Public School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary campus in this district. The student body is predominantly Black, with a sizable Hispanic population and very small numbers of white, Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Every student at Spann qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school operates as a fully economically disadvantaged enrollment, a pattern common across Jackson Public Schools. The school does not report IEP counts or English-learner figures, so those details are unavailable here.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, Spann's English language arts performance is the stronger side of its academic picture. Third, fourth, and fifth graders each posted proficiency rates approaching or reaching the halfway mark, with fifth grade landing right at half of tested students scoring proficient or above. That is a solid reading result for an elementary school serving a universally low-income population, and it suggests literacy instruction is producing real gains across the grade band.
Math results are more mixed. Third-grade math proficiency is low, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficient. The number rises meaningfully by fourth grade and holds roughly steady in fifth grade, pointing to growth as students move up but still leaving a majority of tested students below the proficient bar. Science, tested only in fifth grade, is the brightest spot: a majority of fifth graders scored proficient or above, well ahead of the school's math results and a positive signal for hands-on instruction at the upper elementary level. Participation rates were not reported, so it is hard to gauge whether testing coverage was complete. No multi-year trend data was available, so parents looking to understand whether these results represent improvement or decline would need to ask the school directly.
The surrounding community context matters here. Jackson is Mississippi's capital and largest city, a sprawling, auto-dependent Sun Belt metro centered on state government, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a Nissan manufacturing plant, with Jackson Public Schools itself among the largest employers. The city has experienced substantial population decline over the past decade, the steepest of any major American city in that span, and has grappled with serious infrastructure problems including a 2022 water crisis. Development pressure has shifted toward suburban Madison and Rankin counties, even as the broader metro area remains the state's economic engine. For families considering Spann, this means the school operates within a district and city facing real fiscal and infrastructure headwinds, which can affect everything from facilities maintenance to program funding.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Home values sit below the Mississippi statewide figure and well below national levels, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home is modest. Rents have risen year over year but remain low in absolute terms. The price-to-income ratio is near the national midpoint, so buying a home in this area is within reach for many households relative to income, though renters have seen costs climb.
Jackson Public School District recently adopted a Strategic Plan covering the next several years, which will guide curriculum, instruction, and resource decisions across the district. Spann sits within that framework. The school's locale, governance, and Title I status were not reported in the data provided, and no discipline, course-access, staffing, or attendance figures were available, so those dimensions of the school environment could not be assessed here.
For a parent weighing Spann, the picture is one of a neighborhood elementary school doing better in reading and science than in math, serving an entirely low-income student population in a city working through difficult structural challenges. The reading and science results suggest real instructional effort, while the math numbers, particularly in third grade, are an area a parent may want to look into further with the school.
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