Best Public Schools in Picayune, MS

Summary:

The city of Picayune, Mississippi is home to 8 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The schools in this area serve students from diverse backgrounds, with varying levels of academic performance and economic challenges.

Among the standout schools in Picayune is West Hancock Elementary School, which is part of the highly-ranked Hancock County School District. This school consistently performs in the top 25% of Mississippi elementary schools, with impressive proficiency rates in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade core subjects. In contrast, South Side Elementary School has shown steady improvement, moving from a 3-star to a 4-star rating in recent years.

The data reveals significant disparities in student performance across Picayune schools, with potential racial achievement gaps and the impact of economic disadvantage being key factors. While Picayune Memorial High School has improved its state ranking, its performance still lags behind the state average in some areas. The high free/reduced lunch rates across all Picayune School District schools indicate that poverty is a major challenge facing the community, and further analysis and targeted interventions may be needed to address these disparities and improve outcomes for all students.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAAP English Language Arts (2024)						MAAP Mathematics (2024)						MAAP Algebra I (2024)	MAAP English II (2024)	MAAP Science (2024)		MAAP Biology (2024)	MAAP U.S. History1 (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	MAAP U.S. History1 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Side Lower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	400 South Beech Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 799-0683	335	21	16.1	100.0%	195 (58.2%)	115 (34.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.9%)								(n/a)																			$8,803	$1,207	$7,596
Center For Alternative Education	Public	7-12	900 East Third Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 799-0684	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Nicholson Elementary School	Public	K-6	1887 Hwy 11 South	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-6309	363	29	12.6	100.0%	177 (48.8%)	99 (27.3%)	17 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (19.0%)	40.2	246^th of 390 public elementary schools	36.9%		28.1	287^th of 377 public elementary schools	23.9%	41	50.9	42.6	39.4	35.6			62.8	27.8	48.5	40.0					69.7				$10,196	$1,437	$8,760
Picayune Memorial High School	Public	9-12	800 Fifth Avenue	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 798-1380	941	50	18.8	100.0%	544 (57.8%)	311 (33.0%)	24 (2.6%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (5.5%)	64.6	80^th of 228 public high schools	64.9%		55.1	104^th of 226 public high schools	54.0%	24													73.3	53.8			65.7	72.9	$10,705	$279	$10,427
Pmhs Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	600 Goodyear Blvd.	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 798-7601	0	9	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Picayune Junior High School	Public	7-8	702 Goodyear Blvd.	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-5449	510	31	16.4	100.0%	289 (56.7%)	166 (32.5%)	17 (3.3%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.1%)	49.1	137^th of 264 public middle schools	48.1%		49.5	116^th of 243 public middle schools	52.3%	21					38.6	36.1					59.8	45.2				54.2			$8,112	$726	$7,386
Roseland Park Elementary School	Public	K-6	1610 Gilcrease Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-6824	366	24	15.3	100.0%	218 (59.6%)	104 (28.4%)	3 (0.8%)	6 (1.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.0%)	36.4	257^th of 390 public elementary schools	34.1%		29.8	282^nd of 377 public elementary schools	25.2%	25	57.2	54.9	39.1	24.5			54.8	31.4	23.9	47.8					62.2				$8,417	$816	$7,601
South Side Elementary School	Public	3-6	1500 Rosa Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-1105	298	20	14.8	100.0%	180 (60.4%)	100 (33.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.4%)	72.1	101^st of 390 public elementary schools	74.1%		62.9	135^th of 377 public elementary schools	64.2%	34	61.8	65.8	52.2	57.9			54.3	68.4	55.0	66.2					82.8				$7,990	$836	$7,154
West Side Elementary School	Public	K-6	111 Kirkwood Street	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Picayune School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 798-3625	427	28	15.3	100.0%	267 (62.5%)	118 (27.6%)	4 (0.9%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.3%)	46.8	213^th of 390 public elementary schools	45.4%		34.6	259^th of 377 public elementary schools	31.3%	46	62.7	54.3	64.7	30.8			25.4	34.2	43.2	61.5					64.7				$8,331	$735	$7,596
West Hancock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	23350 Highway 43	Picayune	39466	Pearl River County	Hancock County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 586-6054	341	30	11.4	99.1%	309 (90.6%)	10 (2.9%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	79.2	66^th of 390 public elementary schools	83.1%		76.3	73^rd of 377 public elementary schools	80.6%	7	68.8	70.3	57.9				68.8	64.8	73.7						80.7				$8,432	$784	$7,648

Cities Near Picayune

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Carriere	1.94 mi	4	49^th
Kiln	15.05 mi	5	8^th
Poplarville	19.24 mi	5	38^th
Bay Saint Louis	25.57 mi	2	59^th
Waveland	26.42 mi	1

See the top MS Mississippi cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.