The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Eva Gordon Upper Elementary School
Eva Gordon Upper Elementary School sits in Magnolia, the county seat of Pike County, Mississippi, and serves the upper elementary grades within the South Pike School District. The school draws from a small rural town that publicly reported sources describe as still rural in character, dependent on the larger nearby city of McComb for many consumer goods and cultural resources. Magnolia's historic commercial core runs along Railroad Avenue, with a former railroad right-of-way serving as a shaded green space through the center of town. Industrial development is concentrated to the north, and the town seeks to attract further commercial investment, though publicly reported sources note no major new housing developments in recent years. The population has been in modest decline.
The school serves grades four through six, a configuration that bridges early elementary and middle school. Every student at Eva Gordon qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a fact that reflects the economic conditions of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly Black, with a small share of white students and a very small number of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the most recent results show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In math, proficiency rises as students move from fourth grade through sixth, with the youngest tested grade showing the lowest share of students meeting proficiency and the oldest showing a considerably higher share. ELA follows a somewhat different pattern, with fifth grade showing the strongest performance and both fourth and sixth landing lower. Science, tested only in fifth grade, stood out as the strongest result at this school. These results suggest that academic outcomes vary meaningfully depending on the subject and grade, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports students across this transition band, particularly in the earlier grades where math proficiency is weakest.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. Participation rates for the assessments were also missing from the available data. The absence of trend information means a family reading these results should treat them as a single-year snapshot rather than a trajectory. Because Eva Gordon serves only upper elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the AP, dual-credit, or career pathway programs that families might expect at a high school. No data on program offerings, course access, discipline, staffing, or attendance was available. A neighbor comparison was also not provided, so this school could not be positioned against nearby schools in its county.
The broader housing and economic context in Magnolia is one of affordability relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Mississippi state average and far below the national figure, though they have been appreciating at a faster annual pace than either benchmark in the most recent data. The estimated monthly mortgage cost is modest, and the price-to-income ratio sits below what many households face in higher-cost markets. Rental data for the area was not available, which limits the picture for families who rent rather than own.
Magnolia's civic and recreational life centers on a few anchors. Percy Quin State Park, a short distance from town, offers a lake, camping, a golf course, and hiking trails and is among Mississippi's older state parks. Within Magnolia, the Pike County Courthouse on Bay Street serves as a civic center with a small shaded green. The historic railroad green space runs along Main Street. The town has one public library. Major employers include county government and the school district itself, with many residents commuting to McComb for additional work opportunities. Southwest Mississippi Community College, located in nearby Summit, serves the broader Pike County area for postsecondary education.
The South Pike School District's recent record does not include publicly reported changes meeting a lasting-impact bar such as referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property tax shifts, so there was little district-level change to report. Families considering Eva Gordon will find a school serving a high-need student population in an affordable small town, with academic results that vary across grades and subjects and a community that leans on its larger neighbor for many services and opportunities.
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