West Hancock Elementary School

Summary:

West Hancock Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Picayune, Mississippi, with a student population of 341 as of the 2022-2023 school year. The school is part of the Hancock County School District, which is ranked 7th out of 130 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

West Hancock Elementary consistently outperforms the state average in MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) test scores, with proficiency rates ranging from 57.9% to 80.7% in 2023-2024, compared to the state averages of 51.7% to 57.7%. The school has a significantly higher percentage of white students (90.62%) compared to the state average and nearby schools, such as East Hancock Elementary and Hancock North Central Elementary. However, West Hancock Elementary faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with over 99% of its students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Despite these challenges, West Hancock Elementary has steadily improved its statewide ranking over the past several years, moving from 288th out of 402 schools in 2014-2015 to 66th out of 390 schools in 2023-2024. While the school performs well compared to the Picayune School District and the state, it lags behind the top-performing school in the Hancock County School District, East Hancock Elementary, which consistently ranks among the top 25 schools in the state.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 23350 Highway 43
       Picayune, MS  39466


(228) 586-6054

District: Hancock County School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
66th of 390 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,432 Help


Students who attend West Hancock Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Hancock Middle School
High:    Hancock High School

Student/teacher ratio:  11.4 Help
Number of students:  341

Racial breakdown:

White:
90.6%
Two or more races:
4.4%
African American:
2.9%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  99.1% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details West Hancock Elementary School ranks better than 83.1% of elementary schools in Mississippi. It also ranks 3rd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Hancock County School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 79.21. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details West Hancock Elementary School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Hancock County School District. Racial makeup is: White (90.6%), two or more races (4.4%), African American (2.9%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 99.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Hancock County School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Hancock Elementary School is 11.4, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Hancock County School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare West Hancock Elementary School employs 29.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Hancock Elementary School is $8,432, which is the 2nd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Hancock County School District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

West Hancock Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Hancock County School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Hancock County School District 7th of 130 Mississippi school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for West Hancock Elementary School?

Rank History for West Hancock Elementary School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MS State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 72.29 100th 403 75.2%
2011 47.14 236th 418 43.5%
2012 51.67 202nd 414 51.2%
2013 53.78 191st 408 53.2%
2014 36.36 267th 394 32.2%
2015 29.42 288th 402 28.4%
2016 52.71 186th 394 52.8%
2017 55.69 170th 406 58.1%
2018 58.28 163rd 404 59.7%
2019 67.34 121st 397 69.5%
2021 66.27 124th 381 67.5%
2022 68.81 114th 382 70.2%
2023 76.31 73rd 377 80.6%
2024 79.21 66th 390 83.1%
See the entire list of Mississippi Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Mississippi Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

West Hancock Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    





Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
0%

0%

100%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Open Quote I love how this school makes me feel like my children are safe. I had 3 children in school last year and one of their teachers I didn't like so much. My daughter was having a tough enough time with school and her teacher did not give her the much needed help. I understand she has other students to attend to but all she had to do was go to my daughters side do the first one individually with her then let her do the rest on her own. My daughter would hide out in the restroom to avoid her teacher (SHE IS IN FIRST GRADE!) Also, the school does not have a tutor or extra help for children like my daughter. Close Quote



Enrollment information for West Hancock Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2009 376 27 2 6 0 1 0 0 412
2010 385 20 2 8 1 1 9 0 426
2011 352 24 4 11 1 1 7 0 400
2012 348 18 1 9 2 0 8 0 386
2013 346 23 0 12 1 0 11 0 393
2014 360 21 0 5 0 0 13 0 399
2015 319 22 0 7 0 0 8 0 356
2016 314 23 1 4 0 0 4 0 346
2017 307 22 0 8 0 0 14 0 351
2018 317 21 0 10 0 0 13 0 361
2019 293 19 0 8 0 0 17 0 337
2020 288 21 0 8 0 0 11 0 328
2021 268 19 1 7 0 0 13 0 308
2022 302 14 0 7 0 0 12 0 335
2023 309 10 0 5 2 0 15 0 341

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at West Hancock Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 412 24.5 16.8 67.5
2010 426 27.0 15.7 72.5
2011 400 25.1 15.8 73.8
2012 386 24.0 16.0 72.5
2013 393 23.6 16.6 78.6
2014 399 25.2 15.7 73.9
2015 356 24.0 14.8 63.5
2016 346 21.0 16.4 80.9
2017 351 20.3 17.2 77.2
2018 361 22.8 15.8 75.9
2019 337 21.8 15.4 76
2020 328 22.1 14.7 76.8
2021 308 23.6 13.0 99
2022 335 24.5 13.6 99.1
2023 341 29.7 11.4 99.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio West Hancock Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 412 24.5 16.8 67.5
2010 426 27.0 15.7 72.5
2011 400 25.1 15.8 73.8
2012 386 24.0 16.0 72.5
2013 393 23.6 16.6 78.6
2014 399 25.2 15.7 73.9
2015 356 24.0 14.8 63.5
2016 346 21.0 16.4 80.9
2017 351 20.3 17.2 77.2
2018 361 22.8 15.8 75.9
2019 337 21.8 15.4 76
2020 328 22.1 14.7 76.8
2021 308 23.6 13.0 99
2022 335 24.5 13.6 99.1
2023 341 29.7 11.4 99.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for West Hancock Elementary School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $784 (9.3%) $7,648 (90.7%) $8,432

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West Hancock Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 121st of 397 Elementary schoolsRanks 73rd of 377 Elementary schools
 11.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (West Hancock Elementary School)50.863.7
 12.9%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Hancock County School District)57.765.9
 8.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)48.351.6
 3.3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (West Hancock Elementary School)54.472.7
 18.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Hancock County School District)60.768.9
 8.2%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)51.454.8
 3.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (West Hancock Elementary School)6064.9
 4.9%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Hancock County School District)63.466.2
 2.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)48.553.4
 4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (West Hancock Elementary School)41.868.5
 26.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Hancock County School District)6076.2
 16.2%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)48.856.7
 7.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (West Hancock Elementary School)5062.9
 12.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Hancock County School District)5958.3
 0.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)4351.9
 8.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (West Hancock Elementary School)48.338.7
 9.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Hancock County School District)54.852.1
 2.7%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)38.944.3
 5.4%
5th Grade Science (West Hancock Elementary School)67.279
 11.8%
   5th Grade Science (Hancock County School District)74.677.3
 2.7%
   5th Grade Science (Mississippi)55.964.3
 8.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students337341
 1.2%
African American1910
 47.4%
American Indian02
Asian00
Hispanic85
 37.5%
Pacific Islander00
White293309
 5.5%
Two or More Races1715
 11.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients76%99.1%
 23.2%


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Frequently Asked Questions about West Hancock Elementary School

West Hancock Elementary School ranks 66th of 390 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at West Hancock Elementary School are 91% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% Hispanic.

In the 2022-23 school year, 341 students attended West Hancock Elementary School.

Students who attend West Hancock Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hancock Middle School
High : Hancock High School


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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.





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