The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Crestwood Elementary School
Crestwood Elementary sits on Crestwood Drive in Meridian, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Meridian Public Schools. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, drawing from a community where every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with class sizes distributed fairly evenly across the early grades before narrowing somewhat by fifth grade.
The student body is almost entirely Black, with small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, white, and Asian students. Information on English-learner status and special-education enrollment was not available in the data provided, so those portions of the school's profile remain unclear.
State assessment results from the most recent year tell a mixed academic story. In English language arts, the school performs better than in math across the tested grades. Third and fourth graders land in a similar range, with roughly a fifth to a quarter of students reaching proficiency. Fifth grade shows a clear step up, with a larger share clearing that bar. Science results for fifth graders stand out as the school's strongest result, with nearly half of tested students demonstrating proficiency. That science figure gives a parent something concrete to ask about: what the school is doing in that subject that seems to be working.
Mathematics is the softer area. Third and fourth grade proficiency rates sit in the single digits, which is low by any standard. Fifth grade math improves, but the earlier-grade numbers mean a substantial majority of students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks in math. A parent considering this school may want to look into how the school supports math instruction and intervention, particularly in the primary grades.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. Participation rates were also missing from the data set.
Meridian itself is a city with deep railroad roots, publicly reported as once the largest in Mississippi during a railroad-driven era. Today the economy rests on healthcare, military installations, and manufacturing. Naval Air Station Meridian and Key Field are major employers, and Ochsner Rush Health is the largest non-military regional employer. Peavey Electronics is headquartered here. The downtown core holds cultural institutions including the Riley Center, the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, the Meridian Museum of Art, and the historic Threefoot Building. Union Station offers Amtrak and Greyhound service. Outside downtown, the city is largely car-dependent. The population has declined over the decades since the railroad industry faded, and the housing market reflects a modest, affordable profile. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below state and national benchmarks, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are low relative to typical incomes. Rent is also affordable. The market showed a slight year-over-year decline in values.
For a parent, the housing picture means entry costs are low. The trade-off is that the surrounding area has experienced long-term population loss, and the school's academic results in math are a concern worth discussing with school leadership. The ELA and science results are more encouraging, and the fifth-grade numbers across subjects suggest some students find their footing as they move up. The school serves a community where economic need is universal, and that context shapes what it asks of its teachers and families.
No data was available on discipline practices, course offerings, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, or Title I status, so those dimensions of the school environment could not be assessed. The Meridian Public School District brief did not surface any specific parent-relevant changes from recent meetings or planning documents, so that layer of context was absent as well.
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