The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Science. The lowest is 66% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Stone Elementary School
Stone Elementary School sits on East Central Avenue in Wiggins, the small rural county seat of Stone County, Mississippi. Wiggins lies within the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area but keeps a distinctly small-town character, with a traditional downtown clustered around First Street and a built environment that is low-density and car-dependent. The town's identity was long tied to the timber industry, once serving as headquarters of the Finkbine Lumber Company, and was briefly famous for hosting the world's largest pickle processing facility, now closed. Timber still sustains many local businesses today. Highways 49, 26, and 29 thread through the area, and Flint Creek Water Park sits just off Highway 29. The town is growing slowly, with a modest population increase since the 2020 census, and no major new housing developments surfaced in publicly reported sources.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Stone County School District. Enrollment is sizable for a rural elementary school, with each grade level well populated. The student body is majority white, with a meaningful Black enrollment and a smaller group of students identifying as two or more races. Hispanic, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each represent a very small slice of the population. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is consistent with the broader economic context of the area. Information on English learner and special education populations was not available in the provided data.
On Mississippi's state assessments, Stone Elementary's results are a clear strength. Math proficiency is strong across the tested grades, with third, fourth, and fifth grade all posting proficiency rates well above a majority of tested students. Fourth grade math stands out as the highest of the three. English language arts results show a similar pattern of solid performance, with fifth grade earning the strongest ELA proficiency rate and fourth grade close behind. Third grade ELA is the relatively softer spot, with a lower share of students reaching proficiency, though still above the halfway mark. Science is tested only in fifth grade at this level, and the proficiency rate there is the highest result in the building. These are encouraging numbers for a rural elementary school and suggest that instruction in the core subjects is landing well for most students.
Participation rates were not reported for any of the tested grade levels or subjects, so a parent may want to look into that further with the school if assessment participation is a concern. No trend data was available, so it is not possible from this data to say whether performance is improving, holding steady, or slipping over time.
Beyond test scores, the school recently expanded its art program through a grant from Mississippi Whole Schools, adding hands-on arts learning aimed at increasing student engagement. That is a concrete enrichment step for an elementary setting. At the district level, Stone County opened a new Career and Technical Education building in August 2024 for older students, and a new high school is under construction with a planned opening in 2026. While those investments do not directly affect Stone Elementary, they signal a district committing capital to facilities and program breadth, which shapes the path students will move into after fifth grade.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the state figure and far below the national one, with a modest year-over-year decline in the most recent data. Rental data was not available. The price-to-income ratio is low compared with the national figure, meaning local incomes stretch further against home prices here than in much of the country. For a family weighing where to settle, that affordability pairs with a school that is producing solid academic results in the elementary years.
No locale classification, Title I status, magnet or charter designation, discipline data, staffing figures, attendance data, or course access details were provided. The school is not a charter school. Civil rights data was also absent. What the available evidence does show is a large rural elementary school with strong state assessment results, an expanding arts program, a student population reflecting the community it serves, and a district actively investing in facilities that will matter as these students move up.
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