West Hills Elementary

West Hills Elementary, a medium-sized K-5 school in Meridian, Mississippi, operated by Meridian Public Schools, caters to 423 students, covering grades K through 5.

Meridian Public Schools runs 9 schools in total, collectively educating 4,385 students. West Hills Elementary is one of those campuses.

Demographically, West Hills Elementary shows that nearly all students (91%) are Black; the rest looks like 4% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Lauderdale County as a whole is about 41% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, West Hills Elementary has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.7:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Lauderdale County's rate of about 75%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), West Hills Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 44.1%; this one delivers 44.1%.

In the surrounding community, Lauderdale County reports that the typical household earns roughly $50,817 per year, about 24% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 19%. In all, Lauderdale County runs 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 10,325 students), of which West Hills Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Northwest Middle School, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at West Hills Elementary has edged down 19%, going from 523 students in 2018 to 423 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share ticked down from 96% to 91%. Class-load math has fell: from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for West Hills Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.