The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on South Perry Elementary School
South Perry Elementary sits in Beaumont, a small rural town in Perry County, Mississippi, on the edge of the De Soto National Forest within the Hattiesburg metropolitan area. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Perry County School District, which also runs secondary education in New Augusta, the county seat, roughly ten miles north. Beaumont itself is car-dependent, with no sidewalks or pedestrian infrastructure described in available sources. Most households own multiple vehicles, and residents carpool to work. The town has no traditional downtown; municipal offices, a library, and a fire department are dispersed along highway and residential roads.
The community has experienced sustained population decline since the 1970s, and a publicly reported EF2 tornado in April 2022 heavily damaged buildings, homes, trees, and power infrastructure. No major new housing developments or commercial growth initiatives surfaced in available sources. Housing here is inexpensive relative to state and national benchmarks, with typical home values well below the Mississippi average and far below the national figure. The price-to-income ratio sits below the national level, meaning local homes are comparatively affordable for earners in the area, though current mortgage rates near the mid-six-percent range shape what monthly carrying costs look like.
South Perry is a small school for its grade band. Its enrollment is modest across all six grades, with a fairly even racial composition: a slight majority of students are White, a substantial minority are Black, and a small portion identify as two or more races. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions in the surrounding community. Data on individualized education program participation and English learner status was not reported, so those population segments cannot be characterized here.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, South Perry's proficiency pattern shows mixed signals across subjects and grades. In English language arts, roughly a third of third and fourth graders reached proficiency, with fifth grade landing in a similar range. Math results are stronger in the earlier grades, with third and fourth grade proficiency above a third of tested students, but fifth grade math drops off sharply, with only a small fraction demonstrating proficiency. Science stands out as a bright spot: fifth grade science proficiency is notably higher, with a majority of tested students reaching the proficient level. Participation rates were not available in the data provided. A parent looking at the fifth grade math result in particular may want to ask the school what supports are in place as students prepare to transition to secondary schooling in New Augusta.
Because this is an elementary school serving grades kindergarten through five, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not have a charter or magnet designation. Information on Title I status, school type classification, locale designation, discipline practices, course access, staffing levels, and attendance was not available in the data provided. Program offerings such as arts, athletics, or extracurriculars were also absent, so a family would need to contact the school directly to understand what is available beyond the core academic day.
We looked for recent district-level changes in the Perry County School District that would be relevant to families and found little of lasting impact in available sources, so that material is left out rather than guessed. A neighbor comparison fact-set was not provided for this school, so it cannot be positioned against nearby schools here.
What the picture does show is a small, rural elementary school serving a community with limited economic resources, where early-grade performance is middling, fifth grade math is a soft spot, and science outcomes are a relative strength. Families considering South Perry would benefit from direct conversation with school staff about instructional support in the upper elementary grades and about what the transition to secondary school in New Augusta looks like for students leaving fifth grade.
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