The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Science. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on West Jones Elementary School
West Jones Elementary School sits on Highway 84 West in Laurel, Mississippi, serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Jones County School District. It is a sizable elementary campus for its grade band, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the early and upper elementary grades. The school is not a charter school and carries no reported magnet designation. Title I status was not available in the data provided.
The student body reflects a mix of backgrounds. White students make up the largest group, with Hispanic and Black students forming the next two cohorts, and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a community where economic need is a lived reality for many families. Data on individualized education programs and English learner services was not reported, so those are gaps a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
On state assessments, West Jones posts results that land in a middling band. In math, third and fourth graders reach proficiency at just under half to roughly half, with fifth grade slightly stronger. Sixth grade math drops off, with a smaller share of students reaching proficiency than in the earlier grades. English language arts follows a somewhat different pattern: third grade is near half, fourth grade dips, then fifth and sixth grades recover to levels above half of tested students. Science stands out as the school's relative bright spot, with a clear majority of fifth graders demonstrating proficiency, the strongest result across all subjects and grades reported. These are results from the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program cycle, and no multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to compare this year against prior performance from the data on hand.
Because this is an elementary school serving no high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. That metric does not apply here.
Laurel itself is a small city with deep lumber-town roots. Incorporated in the late nineteenth century, its timber-era prosperity shaped broad avenues, public parks, and a historic district that draws architectural interest. The city has lost roughly a third of its peak population over the decades as manufacturing jobs faded, but in recent years publicly reported renovation activity and tourism linked to HGTV's "Hometown" series have brought renewed attention to the downtown and older neighborhoods. Major employers still include manufacturing firms like Howard Industries and Masonite International, alongside healthcare providers such as South Central Regional Medical Center. The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, anchors the civic core. Interstate 59 and several U.S. highways run through or alongside the city, and a regional airport sits a short drive to the southwest.
Housing in the school's zip code is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values sitting below the statewide figure and well below the national one. Home values have shown a modest year-over-year decline. The estimated monthly mortgage cost is modest, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that homeownership remains within reach for working families in the area compared with many parts of the country. Rental data was not available.
The Jones County School District brief surfaced little in the way of recently reported changes or initiatives that would shape a parent's decision right now. Information on discipline practices, course access beyond core subjects, staffing ratios, and attendance was not available for this school. Without those pieces, the picture is necessarily incomplete on student supports and school climate. A family considering West Jones would benefit from asking the school directly about how it supports struggling readers and math learners, what interventions exist for the sixth-grade math dip, and what enrichment or extracurricular options are available for upper elementary students.
In sum, West Jones is a community-rooted elementary school with a diverse student population, solid science instruction relative to its other subjects, and mixed math and reading results across the grade bands. It sits in an affordable small-city housing market with a distinctive history and a modest revival underway in its downtown core.
See more original research from School Decision →