The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Morton Elementary School
Morton Elementary School sits in a small rural city in Scott County, Mississippi, ringed by the Bienville National Forest. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade and operates as part of the Scott County School District. Its campus sits apart from the traditional downtown core along First Avenue, which is typical of the separated school campuses found in county-level districts.
The community around Morton is built on poultry processing. Koch Foods runs the largest plant in town, and manufacturing anchors the local economy alongside retail trade and food service. Morton stands out for its diversity in rural Mississippi, with Hispanic, White, and Black families each making up substantial shares of the population. The city describes itself as offering small-town cohesion with proximity to urban amenities, though it is entirely car-dependent with no public transit. Publicly reported data shows median household income running well below national averages and a high poverty rate. Housing is inexpensive relative to both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values sitting far below what most Mississippi communities see. The homeownership rate is low, and median property values have been declining. Population has grown modestly and appears to have stabilized.
At Morton Elementary, every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is sizable for an early-grade school, and the student body reflects the broader community's diversity. Hispanic students form the largest group, followed by White and Black students, with a smaller multiracial presence. Data on English learner status and special education enrollment was not available in the provided records, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
State assessment results from the most recent testing cycle tell a mixed story. Third-grade math stands out as a clear strength, with well over half of tested students reaching proficiency on the MAAP assessment. That result suggests the early-grade math instruction is landing. Fourth-grade math drops sharply, with only about a third of students proficient. English language arts results sit in a similar range across both grades, with roughly a third of students proficient in third grade and a similar share in fourth. The ELA numbers are modest, and the fourth-grade math decline from third grade is pronounced. A parent may want to look into how instruction shifts between third and fourth grade and what supports are in place as the content becomes more demanding. Participation rates were not reported, so it is unclear whether every eligible student was tested.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, which is expected for a pre-kindergarten-through-four building. No civil rights data, discipline information, course access details, staffing figures, or attendance data were provided.
The Scott County School District's recent parent-relevant changes could not be confirmed. Publicly reported searches turned up only basic district profile information, with no verifiable updates on curriculum, referendums, or facility investments. Families looking for a sense of where the district is headed will need to go directly to district leadership for current information.
For a family considering Morton Elementary, the school offers a large, diverse early-grade setting in a community where housing costs are low and the Bienville National Forest and Roosevelt State Park provide ready outdoor access. The academic picture has a bright spot in third-grade math and softer ground in fourth-grade math and across English language arts. Universal free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility means the school is serving a population with substantial economic need, and the community's industrial base in poultry processing shapes much of daily life here.
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