The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Math. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Verona Elementary School
Verona Elementary School sits on College Avenue in the small, primarily residential city of Verona, Mississippi. Verona is the oldest settlement in Lee County, having grown around the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and it lies a short distance south of Tupelo, the county seat. The city's population is predominantly African American and has been declining over recent census cycles, according to publicly reported sources. No major new housing developments or commercial growth projects were identified. The municipal government, led by a mayor and board of aldermen that meets monthly, maintains a planning and development department, but available sources did not surface parks, libraries, or transit services within the city. Housing vacancy rates suggest a soft local market.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade and is part of the Lee County School District. Its enrollment is modest for an elementary school covering this grade band. The student body is predominantly African American, with smaller Hispanic, white, and multiracial populations. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which lines up with the economic conditions of the surrounding community. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available in the provided materials, so those population shares remain unknown.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments for the most recent school year, a minority of tested students reached proficient or above in each grade and subject. Third-grade math showed the strongest result, with the largest share of students meeting that bar. Fourth-grade math, third-grade ELA, and fourth-grade ELA each had smaller proficient shares. The pattern is consistent across subjects, with proficiency declining from third to fourth grade in both math and reading. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is unclear whether these results represent a recent change or a longer-standing pattern. Participation rates were also not reported.
Because the school serves only pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. State testing applies only to third and fourth grades at this school. This is expected for an elementary school serving this grade band and does not indicate a gap in the school's offerings.
The provided data did not include information on school programs, course access, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, or Title I status. We looked for the district's strategic priorities and any recent bond or referendum activity for Lee County School District but found little, so those topics are left out rather than guessed. No neighbor comparison data was available to position Verona Elementary against nearby schools.
For a parent considering Verona Elementary, the academic results describe a school where most tested students are not yet reaching proficiency in core subjects. The decline from third to fourth grade in both math and ELA may be worth discussing with school leadership. The school's pre-kindergarten offering gives families an early entry point, and the modest enrollment could mean closer attention for individual children, though staffing data was not available to confirm that. The surrounding community is small and residential, shaped by economic constraints and a declining population. Families seeking additional context might ask the school about its approach to literacy and math intervention, what support services are available for students from low-income households, and how the district plans to address academic outcomes across its elementary schools.
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