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What do you wish you knew before starting at WEST SIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
444
Elementary
DISTRICT 326 · STATE 446
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280363000700
West Side Elementary
111 Kirkwood Street, Picayune, MS 39466 · (601) 798-3625 · Pearl River County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL444 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 95.5:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
74%
329 students
DISTRICT 79% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 84 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 67 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 57 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 71 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 58 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 60 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 47 | 11% |
Student demographics
57%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
Test scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
50.5%
MS avg 45.9% . -3.5pp since 2023
Math
39.9%
MS avg 52.8% . -3.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 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 4 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
MAAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 50.5% | 39.9% |
| 2023-24 | 54.0% | 43.1% |
% 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
50.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.1%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% 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 West Side Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Mississippi | In Pearl River County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.8% | #257 of 428 | #7 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.9% | #301 of 439 | #8 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.5% | #199 of 439 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 444 | #183 of 453 | #3 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.9:1 | #339 of 408 | #6 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.8% | #112 of 409 | #3 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.1% | #291 of 444 | #4 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.5% | #63 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
444
+82 (+23%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 486
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
was 14.5:1
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 | 444 | 26.2 | 16.9:1 | 74% (329) |
| 2023-24 | 419 | 27.7 | 15.1:1 | 100% (419) |
| 2022-23 | 427 | 27.8 | 15.3:1 | 100% (427) |
| 2020-21 | 362 | 25 | 14.5:1 | 100% (362) |
| 2017-18 | 425 | 25 | 17.0:1 | 100% (425) |
| 2015-16 | 429 | 23 | 18.6:1 | 100% (429) |
| 2010-11 | 469 | 23 | 20.4:1 | 72% (339) |
| 2000-01 | 482 | 27 | 17.9:1 | 59% (282) |
| 1990-91 | 486 | 28 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Side Elementary.
About West Side Elementary
West Side Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school found in Picayune, Mississippi. Enrollment totals 444 students across kindergarten through 6.
Picayune School District includes 8 schools. Together they enroll 3,359 students.
The share of White students at West Side Elementary is 60%, a majority. It is also 25% Black, 8% Hispanic, and 5% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Pearl River County is roughly 80% White. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 57%.
A staff of 26.2 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 16.9:1. Compared with the 15.9:1 average for elementary schools in Mississippi, this school's ratio is higher. By family income, 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Pearl River County, the average is 65%.
The model predicts 57.1% for a school in Mississippi with West Side Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. West Side Elementary posts 50.8%.
In the wider Pearl River County area, median household income comes to about $58,135, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Pearl River County counts 20 public schools with about 8,456 students.
Picayune Junior High School, about 0.2 miles away, is the closest public school. Other public schools within five miles number 7. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 57.2%; West Side Elementary's is 50.8%, ranking 6th of 8.
NCES assigns West Side Elementary the locale Town: Distant, meaning in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
The 2020-21-to-2024-25 change in enrollment was a 23% rise, from 362 to 444. The ratio of students to teachers went from 14.5:1 to 16.9:1 over the same years.
This page is set up for the West Side Elementary community to discuss special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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
- Roseland Park ElementaryElementary · 370 students
- Nicholson ElementaryElementary · 324 students
- South Side Lower ElementaryElementary · 320 students
- South Side Upper ElementaryElementary · 310 students
Other schools in Picayune
- Picayune Memorial High SchoolHigh · 940 students
- Picayune Junior High SchoolMiddle · 465 students
- Roseland Park ElementaryElementary · 370 students
- West Hancock ElementaryElementary · 349 students
- Nicholson ElementaryElementary · 324 students
- South Side Lower ElementaryElementary · 320 students
Nearby schools
- Picayune Junior High School0.2 mi · 465
- Picayune Memorial High School0.3 mi · 940
- South Side Upper Elementary0.6 mi · 310
- South Side Lower Elementary0.6 mi · 320
- Roseland Park Elementary1.5 mi · 370
- Early Head Start Nicholson3.2 mi · 186
Frequently asked questions
About West Side ElementaryHow many students attend West Side Elementary?
West Side Elementary enrolls approximately 444 students in grades KG-06.
What age range does West Side Elementary serve?
West Side Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at West Side Elementary?
Approximately 16.9:1 students per teacher at West Side Elementary.
How diverse is West Side Elementary?
West Side Elementary reports a student body of 60% White, 8% Hispanic, 25% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is West Side Elementary public or private?
West Side Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Picayune School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.