The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Science. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Earl Nash Elementary School
Earl Nash Elementary sits on Gandy Tindal Road in Macon, the county seat of Noxubee County, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Noxubee County School District. The town of Macon is a small rural community at the crossing of US Highway 45 and Mississippi Highway 14 in east-central Mississippi. The city describes itself as a place with comfortable, affordable homes and a low cost of living. Publicly reported sources have identified Macon as having been among the poorest communities in the nation for its population range. The town has been losing residents over recent census cycles, and no major housing developments or commercial projects surfaced in available sources. Most daily trips are car-dependent. Macon sits within a short drive of Columbus, West Point, and Starkville, which expands access to regional amenities and employment.
Housing in the school's zip code area sits well below both state and national benchmarks for typical home values, and values have been declining. The price-to-income ratio sits slightly above the national figure, meaning local incomes are also low relative to home prices. Rent data was not available. The broader economic environment carries a moderate mortgage rate and a stable national unemployment picture, but the local income context shapes what housing affordability actually means here in practice.
Earl Nash serves a predominantly Black student body. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school operates under conditions of concentrated economic need across its entire enrollment. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those population sizes are unknown. The enrollment is large for an elementary school serving this grade band, with children distributed fairly evenly across the early grades.
State assessment results from the most recent school year tell a mixed story. In English language arts, proficiency rises as students move through the grades, with fifth graders showing the strongest results in the school. Third grade ELA starts low, fourth grade improves, and fifth grade reaches the school's best ELA outcome. Science results for fifth graders stand out as the school's highest proficiency mark across all tested subjects and grades. Mathematics is the softest area. Proficiency in math is low across third, fourth, and fifth grades, with fifth grade posting the lowest math result. A parent looking at these math outcomes may want to ask the school how it is approaching math instruction and what interventions or supports are in place.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from this data whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. Participation rates were not reported, which limits how confidently the proficiency figures can be read. Data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance was not available. The school's Title I status, magnet status, and specific school type classification were not reported either, though the universal free-or-reduced-price-lunch rate and the district's characteristics are consistent with a Title I setting.
The Noxubee County School District itself showed no parent-relevant changes in available recent reporting. No referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property-tax shifts surfaced. Families are looking at a district in a steady state, without recent disruptions or new initiatives to factor in.
For a family considering Earl Nash, the picture is of a large elementary school in a small, declining rural town where housing is inexpensive but economic resources are thin. The school's ELA and science results show real pockets of strength, particularly by fifth grade. Math is the area where a parent would want to dig deeper. The universal economic need among students means the school is doing its work under conditions that require substantial support, and asking how the school and district marshal resources for that work would be a reasonable next step.
See more original research from School Decision →