Lake Elem

Lake Elem is one of the rural-scale primary schools in Pascagoula, Mississippi, run under Pascagoula-Gautier School District, with 96 students on its rolls from grades K through 4. By comparison, Mississippi's public schools average about 446 students each, so Lake Elem sits 78% below that benchmark.

Across the 17 schools in Pascagoula-Gautier School District (6,579 students total), Lake Elem accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Lake Elem records that 55% of the student body identifies as White; the rest breaks down as 30% Black, 7% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. By comparison, Jackson County as a whole is about 67% White, so the school skews considerably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Lake Elem has 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.9:1, putting Lake Elem tighter than the state norm the norm. About 67% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Jackson County (around 59%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Lake Elem tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 60.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 62.3%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Jackson County put median household earnings sit near $66,201, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Jackson County runs 46 public schools (combined enrollment of about 22,712 students), of which Lake Elem is one.

Central Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lake Elem has contracted 3%, going from 99 students in 2018 to 96 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 18% to 7% across the same window.

On allk12, members of the Lake Elem community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.