Vancleave Lower Elementary

Located at 12602 Hwy 57, in Vancleave, Mississippi, Vancleave Lower Elementary is a roomy primary school that works with 686 students (grades pre-K through 3), one of the schools within Jackson County School District. Compared to the state average of about 446 students per school, that is 54% larger than typical.

Jackson County School District comprises 13 schools with combined enrollment of 8,845 students; Vancleave Lower Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Vancleave Lower Elementary reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (85%). Beyond that, the school lists 6% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 3% Black. That is considerably more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 67%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.1:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 15.9:1 average. An estimated 60% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Jackson County) records that median household earnings sit near $66,201, about 27% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, 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 Vancleave Lower Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Vancleave High School, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Vancleave Lower Elementary's enrollment has ticked up 38% since 2018, when it stood at 496 (now 686). The White share of enrollment declined from 93% to 85% over that span. Class-load math has grew: from 16.0:1 in 2018 to 17.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.