Enrollment
320
Elementary
DISTRICT 326 · STATE 446
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280363000632
South Side Lower Elementary
400 South Beech Street, Picayune, MS 39466 · (601) 799-0683 · Pearl River County
GRADES PK–02ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL320 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.1:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 95.5:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
82%
263 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 80%
Community
0
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 77 | 24% |
| Kindergarten | 79 | 25% |
| Grade 1 | 86 | 27% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 23% |
| Ungraded | 3 | 1% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 62% · US 70%
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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
South Side Lower Elementary→South Side Upper Elementary
Based on grade levels within Picayune School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
47.7%
MS avg 45.9% . -17.1pp since 2023
Math
46.2%
MS avg 52.8% . -8.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 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 17 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 9 points.
MAAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.7% | 46.2% |
| 2023-24 | 64.8% | 54.9% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
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
53.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.1%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 →
Where South Side Lower Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Mississippi | In Pearl River County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.4% | #229 of 428 | #5 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.2% | #250 of 439 | #5 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.7% | #230 of 439 | #6 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 320 | #308 of 453 | #7 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.1:1 | #349 of 408 | #7 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.3% | #114 of 409 | #4 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 82.2% | #243 of 444 | #2 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.3% | #34 of 90 | N/A |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
320
+12 (+4%) vs 2020
+16% since 2000-01, when it was 276
Student : Teacher
17.1:1
was 23.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 320 | 18.7 | 17.1:1 | 82% (263) |
| 2023-24 | 340 | 21.6 | 15.7:1 | 100% (340) |
| 2022-23 | 335 | 20.8 | 16.1:1 | 100% (335) |
| 2020-21 | 308 | 13 | 23.7:1 | 100% (308) |
| 2017-18 | 290 | 15.9 | 18.2:1 | 100% (290) |
| 2015-16 | 249 | 17 | 14.7:1 | 100% (249) |
| 2010-11 | 221 | 14 | 15.8:1 | 84% (185) |
| 2000-01 | 276 | 16 | 17.3:1 | 58% (161) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Side Lower Elementary.
About South Side Lower Elementary
South Side Lower Elementary is an elementary school with a street address in Picayune, Mississippi. The school had 320 students in pre-K through 2 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Mississippi is about 446, so this school runs 28% smaller than that.
Picayune School District, which runs South Side Lower Elementary, has 8 schools and 3,359 students.
At South Side Lower Elementary, White students make up 58% of the student body. The school is also 32% Black, 7% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. That is lower than the 80% White share among all Pearl River County residents. The school's diversity index is 56%, meaning two students picked at random have a 56% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.1:1 at South Side Lower Elementary, with 18.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 1.2 above the 15.9:1 average for elementary schools in Mississippi. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 82%. The average for public schools in Pearl River County is 65%.
A school with South Side Lower Elementary's lunch-eligibility share in Mississippi is predicted to score 53.1%. South Side Lower Elementary scores 53.4%, within a point of that line.
In the county around the school, Pearl River County, the median household income is $58,135, roughly 17% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 20 public schools in Pearl River County, enrolling about 8,456 students in all.
South Side Upper Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles away. The five-mile area around South Side Lower Elementary holds 7 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts South Side Lower Elementary at 3rd of 8.
NCES describes the area around South Side Lower Elementary as Town: Distant, meaning in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Federal data show a 4% enrollment gain, from 308 in 2020-21 to 320 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 23.7:1 to 17.1:1.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at South Side Lower Elementary, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Pearl River County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
57,458
Census ACS
Median income
$58,135
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
8,456 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Picayune School District
- Picayune Memorial High SchoolHigh · 940 students
- Picayune Junior High SchoolMiddle · 465 students
- West Side ElementaryElementary · 444 students
- Roseland Park ElementaryElementary · 370 students
- Nicholson ElementaryElementary · 324 students
- South Side Upper ElementaryElementary · 310 students
Other schools in Picayune
- Picayune Memorial High SchoolHigh · 940 students
- Picayune Junior High SchoolMiddle · 465 students
- West Side ElementaryElementary · 444 students
- Roseland Park ElementaryElementary · 370 students
- West Hancock ElementaryElementary · 349 students
- Nicholson ElementaryElementary · 324 students
Nearby schools
- South Side Upper Elementary0.1 mi · 310
- West Side Elementary0.6 mi · 444
- Picayune Junior High School0.8 mi · 465
- Picayune Memorial High School0.9 mi · 940
- Roseland Park Elementary2.1 mi · 370
- Early Head Start Nicholson2.8 mi · 186
Frequently asked questions
About South Side Lower ElementaryHow many students attend South Side Lower Elementary?
South Side Lower Elementary enrolls approximately 320 students in grades PK-02.
What grades does South Side Lower Elementary serve?
South Side Lower Elementary serves grades PK-02.
How many students per teacher at South Side Lower Elementary?
Approximately 17.1:1 students per teacher at South Side Lower Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Side Lower Elementary?
At South Side Lower Elementary, the student body is approximately 58% White, 7% Hispanic, 32% Black, 4% Two or more.
What district is South Side Lower Elementary in?
South Side Lower Elementary is part of Picayune School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.