The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Math. The lowest is 52% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Martin Bluff
Martin Bluff Elementary sits on Roy's Road in Gautier, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade as part of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. It is a neighborhood elementary school of moderate size for its grade band, drawing from a community that functions primarily as a residential base for workers commuting to the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula and coastal casinos across the surrounding region.
The school's tested grades are third and fourth, since pre-kindergarten through second grade do not sit for Mississippi's state assessments. On the MAAP, Martin Bluff's proficiency results in both math and English language arts sit at roughly the midpoint, with a slight majority of tested students reaching proficiency in each subject and grade. The numbers are consistent across the two grades and two subjects, which suggests a stable instructional pattern rather than a spike or dip in a single year. No participation rate data was reported, and no multi-year trend was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or steady-state performance. A parent may want to ask the school directly about that trajectory.
Every student at Martin Bluff qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that reflects the broader economic profile of the community it serves. The student body is diverse in composition, with white students forming the largest single group, followed closely by Black students, and smaller but meaningful Hispanic and multiracial populations. IEP and English-learner data were not reported, so families whose children receive special education or language-support services should inquire directly about what is available. The school is not a charter school, and no magnet designation was indicated.
Gautier itself is a relatively young city, incorporated in the mid-twentieth century, with a development pattern shaped by postwar suburban growth and its proximity to major employers across Jackson County. Publicly reported sources describe it as a bedroom community whose residents benefit from nearby employment centers rather than from large employers within the city limits. The built environment is car-dependent, with U.S. Route 90 running through the center and Interstate 10 crossing the northern edge. There is no traditional walkable downtown, and the city's geography, divided by bayous, wetlands, and the Pascagoula River, fragments any continuous pedestrian fabric. Civic life leans heavily on the natural surroundings, including the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Shepard State Park, and the Eric Clark Coastal Preserve, along with the Jackson County Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Housing in the school's zip code is affordable by both state and national standards. Typical home values sit below the Mississippi state benchmark and well below the national figure, and rents are correspondingly modest. The price-to-income ratio suggests that a family earning a median income could manage a mortgage on a typical home in the area without the cost burden common in many coastal markets. Home values have moved only slightly over the past year. For families weighing where to live while their children attend Martin Bluff, the housing market here offers a meaningfully lower barrier to ownership than most of the Gulf Coast region.
One district-level change worth noting is the planned closure of Jackson Elementary School after the 2025-26 school year. Publicly reported information indicates this will redraw attendance zones across the Pascagoula-Gautier School District and could shift where Gautier families send their elementary-aged children. Families considering Martin Bluff should ask the district how the redrawn boundaries may affect this school's enrollment and catchment area in the near term.
Martin Bluff does not have graduation data, AP or dual-credit offerings, or course-access information, which is expected for a school that ends at fourth grade. What it does have is a consistent academic baseline in the tested grades, a diverse student body, and a community setting that combines affordability with proximity to both natural recreation and regional employment. The data that is missing, particularly around special populations and year-over-year trends, would help a parent complete the picture, and the school and district are the right places to seek it.
See more original research from School Decision →