1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at PETAL ELEMENTARY right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
636
Elementary
DISTRICT 826 · STATE 446
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PETAL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280353001330
Petal Elementary 3-4
1179 Hwy 42 E, Petal, MS 39465 · (601) 584-9400 · Forrest County
GRADES 03–04ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL636 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
48 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
382 students
DISTRICT 60% · 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
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Petal School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
62.8%
MS avg 45.9% . -10.6pp since 2023
Math
76.5%
MS avg 52.8% . +5.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 77 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 up about 6 points.
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
70.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
64.2%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 64% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
636
-28 (-4%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 16.6:1
% White
69%
was 75%
% Hispanic
8%
was 4%
% Black
16%
was 16%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Petal Elementary 3-4
As a mid-tier K-5 school in Petal, Mississippi, Petal Elementary 3-4 instructs 636 students from grades 3 through 4, overseen by Petal School District. By comparison, Mississippi's public schools average about 446 students each, so Petal Elementary 3-4 sits 43% bigger than that benchmark.
Petal Elementary 3-4 is one of 5 schools operated by Petal School District, a district that enrolls 4,253 students overall.
Demographically, Petal Elementary 3-4 logs that 69% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school records 16% Black, 8% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. By comparison, Forrest County as a whole is about 57% White, so the school skews meaningfully more White than its surroundings.
Looking at school resources, On paper, Petal Elementary 3-4 has 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. Roughly 60% of students at Petal Elementary 3-4 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Forrest County runs at roughly 79%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.
Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Petal Elementary 3-4 sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 64.2%; this one delivers 70.9%.
Around the school, ACS estimates for Forrest County put median household income runs about $53,640, about 31% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. Petal Elementary 3-4 is one of 21 public schools in Forrest County (combined enrollment of about 10,857 students).
The closest other public school is Petal High School, roughly 0.1 miles away. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.
The campus sits in a suburban setting.
Over the past 7-year window. Petal Elementary 3-4's enrollment has edged down 4% since 2018, when it stood at 664 (now 636). Over the same period, the White share edged down from 75% to 69%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 today.
In the discussion threads here, members of the Petal Elementary 3-4 community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.
Forrest County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
78,272
Census ACS
Median income
$53,640
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
10,857 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Petal School District
- Petal High SchoolHigh · 1,324 students
- Petal Primary SchoolElementary · 1,016 students
- Petal Middle SchoolMiddle · 645 students
- Petal Upper ElementaryMiddle · 632 students
Other schools in Petal
- Petal High SchoolHigh · 1,324 students
- Petal Primary SchoolElementary · 1,016 students
- Petal Middle SchoolMiddle · 645 students
- Petal Upper ElementaryMiddle · 632 students
- Runnelstown SchoolElementary · 173 students
Nearby schools
- Petal High School0.1 mi · 1,324
- Petal Primary School0.6 mi · 1,016
- Petal Middle School3.4 mi · 645
- Petal Upper Elementary3.4 mi · 632
- Runnelstown School5.6 mi · 173
- Hawkins Elementary5.8 mi · 283
Frequently asked questions
About Petal Elementary 3-4What is the total enrollment at Petal Elementary 3-4?
Petal Elementary 3-4 enrolls approximately 636 students in grades 03-04.
What grades does Petal Elementary 3-4 serve?
Petal Elementary 3-4 serves grades 03-04.
How many teachers does Petal Elementary 3-4 have?
Petal Elementary 3-4 employs 48 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.3:1.
What is the student diversity at Petal Elementary 3-4?
Student demographics at Petal Elementary 3-4 are roughly 69% White, 8% Hispanic, 16% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Petal Elementary 3-4 in?
Petal Elementary 3-4 is part of Petal School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.