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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DESOTO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280132000998

DeSoto Central Elementary

2411 CENTRAL PARKWAY, SOUTHAVEN, MS 38672 · (662) 349-6234 · DeSoto County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL831 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% of Mississippi public elementary schools
  • B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Mississippi public elementary schools

Enrollment
831
Elementary
DISTRICT 681 · STATE 446
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
377 students
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 80%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 329736%
Grade 425431%
Grade 528034%
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
26332%
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 40% · US 43%
Hispanic
9111%
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 7% · US 30%
Black
36544%
DISTRICT 43% · STATE 45% · US 15%
Asian
435%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 1% · US 6%
Two+
688%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
43552%
Female
39648%

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Test scores

MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + Advanced
English Language Arts
55.5%
MS avg 45.9% . -11.4pp since 2023
Math
50.3%
MS avg 52.8% . -9.1pp since 2023

What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 50 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Mississippi schools, those numbers are about 46 and 53. Reading and writing scores are down about 11 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 9 points.

MAAP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2555.5%50.3%
2023-2466.9%59.4%
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
64.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
71.6%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.8pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 72% typical for Mississippi schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Mississippi's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like DeSoto Central Elementary

DeSoto Central Elementary's state test result (64.8% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
DeSoto Central Elementary this school83145.4%64.8%
DeSoto Central Primary School
Southaven
79240.8%59.0%
Central Elementary School
Oxford
70945.8%74.7%
Bramlett Elementary School
Oxford
71553.6%74.2%
Eastside Elementary School
Clinton
74747.9%82.9%
Clinton Park Elementary School
Clinton
74650.4%79.8%
Matched among Mississippi elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where DeSoto Central Elementary ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn MississippiIn DeSoto County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
64.8%#133 of 428#9 of 23
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
50.3%#212 of 439
▼ 50
#11 of 23
▲ 2
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
55.5%#151 of 439
▼ 56
#11 of 23
▼ 2
Enrollment
ranked largest first
831#30 of 453#4 of 23
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
16.1:1#285 of 408#9 of 23
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
68.6%#15 of 409#2 of 23
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
45.4%#414 of 444#14 of 23
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+11.5%#26 of 90#3 of 7
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
831
+76 (+10%) vs 2020
+14% since 2010-11, when it was 726
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
was 16.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2583151.516.1:145% (377)
2023-2482051.216.0:138% (315)
2022-2379648.716.3:1100% (793)
2020-217554616.4:1100% (752)
2017-1874539.119.0:136% (269)
2015-167033719.0:134% (240)
2010-117263620.2:125% (182)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DeSoto Central Elementary.

About DeSoto Central Elementary

DeSoto Central Elementary, a large elementary school, is located in SOUTHAVEN, Mississippi. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 831 students in grades 3 through 5. Against the 446-student average for elementary schools in Mississippi, enrollment here is 86% higher.

DeSoto Central Elementary is among 39 schools run by DeSoto County School District, which serves 34,934 students.

Black students form the largest group at DeSoto Central Elementary, 44% of enrollment. The remaining shares are 32% White, 11% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Census estimates put the Black share of DeSoto County's population at about 33%. DeSoto Central Elementary has a diversity index of 69%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Teachers at DeSoto Central Elementary total 51.5 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.1:1. Elementary schools in Mississippi have a similar average ratio of 15.9:1. The school counts 377 students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 45%.

The allk12 Grade for DeSoto Central Elementary is B-. Compared with Mississippi public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 49% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

In Mississippi, DeSoto Central Elementary is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 64.8% actual against a predicted 71.6%.

According to the American Community Survey, in DeSoto County, median household income is about $85,297, roughly 29% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. DeSoto Central Elementary is one of 43 public schools in DeSoto County, which together enroll about 34,934 students.

The next-closest public school is DeSoto Central Middle School, about 0.2 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of DeSoto Central Elementary. Its average proficiency rate of 64.8% is above the 59.3% average for nearby schools.

The school's federal locale classification is Suburb: Large.

Enrollment was 755 in 2020-21 and 831 in 2024-25, a increase of 76 students.

Community posts for DeSoto Central Elementary can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

DeSoto County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
191,301
Census ACS
Median income
$85,297
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
43
34,934 students

Quick facts

School name
DeSoto Central Elementary
District
DeSoto County School District
Address
2411 CENTRAL PARKWAY, SOUTHAVEN, MS 38672
Phone
(662) 349-6234
County
DeSoto County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
03–05
Total enrollment
831
Teachers (FTE)
52
Student–teacher ratio
16.1:1
Free and reduced lunch
377 (45%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
280132000998
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in DeSoto County School District
Other schools in SOUTHAVEN
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About DeSoto Central Elementary
What is the total enrollment at DeSoto Central Elementary?
DeSoto Central Elementary enrolls approximately 831 students in grades 03-05.
Is DeSoto Central Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
DeSoto Central Elementary is an elementary school covering grades 03-05.
How many teachers does DeSoto Central Elementary have?
DeSoto Central Elementary employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.1:1.
How diverse is DeSoto Central Elementary?
DeSoto Central Elementary reports a student body of 32% White, 11% Hispanic, 44% Black, 5% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is DeSoto Central Elementary public or private?
DeSoto Central Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by DeSoto County School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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