Central Elementary

Central Elementary, a middle-of-the-pack primary school in Gulfport, Mississippi, run under Gulfport School District, enrolls 482 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

Across the 9 schools in Gulfport School District (5,927 students total), Central Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Central Elementary reports that 57% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder comes out to 17% Hispanic, 17% White, 8% multiracial. By comparison, Harrison County as a whole is about 24% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Central Elementary logs 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. The state averages around 15.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Harrison County runs at roughly 74%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, Harrison County reports that median household earnings sit near $59,479, 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Harrison County's 55 public schools (combined enrollment of about 30,521 students), Central Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Harrison County Child Development Center is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.1 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Central Elementary has remained close to its prior level, going from 485 students in 2018 to 482 in 2025. The Black share of enrollment edged down from 68% to 57% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 19.0:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.