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Best kept secret at WEST LAUDERDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
761
Elementary
DISTRICT 645 · STATE 446
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LAUDERDALE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280243001241
West Lauderdale Elementary School
10350 Highway 495, Meridian, MS 39305 · (601) 737-2279 · Lauderdale County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL761 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 47% of Mississippi public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Mississippi public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
17.2:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
351 students
DISTRICT 57% · 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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 48 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 146 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 154 | 20% |
| Grade 2 | 145 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 148 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 120 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (146) is 22% larger than its 4th grade class (120).
Student demographics
39%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · 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
Test scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
65.2%
MS avg 45.9% . -8.4pp since 2023
Math
58.6%
MS avg 52.8% . +2.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 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 8 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
MAAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.2% | 58.6% |
| 2023-24 | 73.6% | 56.3% |
% 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
63.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
71.2%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 71% 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 →
Schools most like West Lauderdale Elementary School
West Lauderdale Elementary School's state test result (63.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Lauderdale Elementary School this school | 761 | 46.1% | 63.4% |
| Lafayette Upper Elementary School Oxford | 803 | 52.8% | 69.9% |
| Sumrall Elementary School Sumrall | 960 | 44.0% | 78.5% |
| Pisgah Elementary Brandon | 556 | 44.1% | 73.7% |
| Lafayette Elementary School Oxford | 776 | 53.1% | 72.5% |
| Steens Creek Elementary Florence | 582 | 48.5% | 84.1% |
Matched among Mississippi elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where West Lauderdale Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Mississippi | In Lauderdale County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.4% | #139 of 428 | #2 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 58.6% | #159 of 439 ▲ 26 | #2 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.2% | #71 of 439 ▼ 25 | #2 of 10 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 761 | #43 of 453 | #1 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.2:1 | #357 of 408 | #9 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.2% | #240 of 409 | #3 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.1% | #412 of 444 | #9 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.3% | #49 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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
761
+164 (+27%) vs 2020
+7% since 2000-01, when it was 714
Student : Teacher
17.2:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 761 | 44.1 | 17.2:1 | 46% (351) |
| 2023-24 | 725 | 51.2 | 14.2:1 | 38% (277) |
| 2022-23 | 687 | 48.3 | 14.2:1 | 100% (684) |
| 2020-21 | 597 | 38 | 15.7:1 | 99% (594) |
| 2017-18 | 709 | 43 | 16.5:1 | 47% (330) |
| 2015-16 | 753 | 48 | 15.7:1 | 46% (348) |
| 2010-11 | 801 | 46 | 17.4:1 | 35% (281) |
| 2000-01 | 714 | 42 | 17.0:1 | 42% (300) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Lauderdale Elementary School.
About West Lauderdale Elementary School
West Lauderdale Elementary School is a high-enrollment elementary school in Mississippi, located in Meridian. The school had 761 students in pre-K through 4 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Mississippi is about 446, so this school runs 71% larger than that.
Lauderdale County School District has 5,940 students spread across 11 schools.
West Lauderdale Elementary School's enrollment is 76% White. The next largest groups are 16% Black, 4% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. In Lauderdale County overall, about 51% of residents are White. The chance that two students picked at random at West Lauderdale Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 39%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 17.2:1, with 44.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. Among elementary schools in Mississippi, the typical ratio is 15.9:1. Lunch subsidy eligibility at West Lauderdale Elementary School is 46%. For comparison, public schools in Lauderdale County average 75%.
allk12 grades West Lauderdale Elementary School a B-. The grade compares the school only with Mississippi public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, West Lauderdale Elementary School is 7.8 points below its prediction. Actual: 63.4%. Predicted: 71.2%.
Within Lauderdale County, median household income is about $50,817, about 24% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 19% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 24 public schools in Lauderdale County, with a combined enrollment of about 10,325.
The closest other public school is West Lauderdale High School, about 3.2 miles away. There are 2 other public schools within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 63.4% is above the 53.2% average for nearby schools.
Federal data place West Lauderdale Elementary School in the Rural: Distant locale, which means it is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, West Lauderdale Elementary School went from 597 students to 761. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 15.7:1 in 2020-21 to 17.2:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about West Lauderdale Elementary School may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Lauderdale County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
71,504
Census ACS
Median income
$50,817
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
19%
Below federal line
Schools in county
24
10,325 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lauderdale County School District
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 730 students
- Northeast High SchoolHigh · 608 students
- Southeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 562 students
- West Lauderdale Middle SchoolMiddle · 537 students
- West Lauderdale High SchoolHigh · 535 students
- Clarkdale Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
Other schools in Meridian
- Meridian High SchoolHigh · 1,253 students
- Northeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 730 students
- Northeast High SchoolHigh · 608 students
- Southeast Elementary SchoolElementary · 562 students
- Clarkdale Elementary SchoolElementary · 527 students
- Northeast Middle SchoolMiddle · 520 students
Nearby schools
- West Lauderdale High School3.2 mi · 535
- West Lauderdale Middle School3.2 mi · 537
- Northeast Middle School8.7 mi · 520
- Northeast High School8.8 mi · 608
- Northeast Elementary School9.5 mi · 730
- Poplar Springs Elementary10.5 mi · 405
Frequently asked questions
About West Lauderdale Elementary SchoolHow large is West Lauderdale Elementary School?
West Lauderdale Elementary School enrolls approximately 761 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does West Lauderdale Elementary School serve?
West Lauderdale Elementary School serves grades PK-04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Lauderdale Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at West Lauderdale Elementary School is approximately 17.2:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at West Lauderdale Elementary School?
Student demographics at West Lauderdale Elementary School are roughly 76% White, 4% Hispanic, 16% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is West Lauderdale Elementary School in?
West Lauderdale Elementary School is part of Lauderdale County School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.