The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in Science. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Walton Elementary School
Walton Elementary sits on Bailey Avenue Extension in north Jackson, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Jackson Public School District. It is a neighborhood public school in a city where the housing market runs far below state and national norms. Homes in the school's zip code carry a typical value well under a tenth of the national benchmark, and rents sit at a level that makes the area among the most affordable in the region. For families weighing cost of living, this is an inexpensive place to put down roots, though the broader community context carries real challenges that come with that affordability.
Jackson is Mississippi's capital and largest city, positioned on the Pearl River at the crossroads of Interstates 20 and 55. State government, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and a Nissan manufacturing plant anchor the regional economy, with Jackson State University and Millsaps College adding educational and cultural presence. The city has faced hard years. Its population shrank sharply over the last census decade, the steepest decline of any major American city during that span. A 2022 water crisis, when the largest treatment facility failed and residents lost access to running water, exposed deep infrastructure problems. Commercial activity has migrated toward suburban Madison and Rankin counties, leaving parts of the core city with thinner retail and street life than a capital might be expected to have. Jackson remains the metro center, and the broader region continues to grow economically, but the city itself is contracting.
Walton reflects its setting. The enrollment is small for a school spanning seven grade levels, and the student body is almost entirely Black. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school operates under conditions of concentrated poverty. The school does not carry a charter or magnet designation. Data on English learners, special education enrollment, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, and program offerings was not available, so those dimensions of school life cannot be characterized here. A parent looking into Walton would want to ask the school directly about classroom support, enrichment programs, and how individual student needs are met.
On state assessments, Walton's results show a clear pattern: younger grades struggle, and proficiency climbs as students move toward fifth grade. Third-grade math proficiency is low, with roughly a quarter of tested students reaching proficient or above. Fourth grade ticks upward in math but holds flat in English language arts. By fifth grade, the picture shifts. Nearly half of fifth graders reached proficiency in math, and a similar share did so in English language arts. Fifth-grade science proficiency also landed near that level. This upward trajectory across grade levels is a real signal. Whether it reflects stronger instruction in the upper grades, students leaving before fifth grade, or a cohort effect is something a parent would want to understand. The data does not include participation rates or multi-year trend comparisons, so there is no way to read whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
The Jackson Public School District recently adopted a strategic plan covering the next several years, which will guide curriculum, instruction, and resource allocation district-wide. How that plan translates into changes at Walton specifically is not yet visible in available data.
What the assembled picture shows is a small, high-poverty elementary school in a struggling but still vital capital city, with assessment results that improve meaningfully from third to fifth grade. The affordability of the surrounding area is exceptional. The civic and cultural resources of Jackson, from the Mississippi Children's Museum to the Civil Rights Museum to Jackson State University, are accessible if a family is willing to drive. The school's lower-grade proficiency is a soft spot worth probing. Its upper-grade results are more encouraging. A family considering Walton should treat those fifth-grade numbers as a reason to ask what the school does well for older students and whether that work can extend to the earlier grades.
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