West Side Elementary School

Q: Is West Side Elementary School a good school?

West Side Elementary School ranks 213 th of 390 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

West Side Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 427 students in grades K-6 in Picayune, Mississippi, which is part of the Picayune School District. While West Side Elementary generally performs better than the district and state averages on standardized tests, particularly in English Language Arts, it faces challenges common to high-poverty areas, including lower funding and performance compared to more affluent neighboring districts.

West Side Elementary has a higher percentage of white students (62.53%) compared to the surrounding schools, which have more diverse student populations. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.2 to 17 over the past 3 years, lower than the surrounding schools. However, all of the schools in the Picayune School District, including West Side Elementary, have 100% of their students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage in the community.

The spending per student at West Side Elementary ($8,331 in 2018-2019) is lower than the surrounding Hancock County schools ($7,582 to $8,896 per student), which may contribute to the performance gap. Schools in the neighboring Hancock County School District, such as East Hancock Elementary and Hancock North Central Elementary, significantly outperform West Side and the Picayune district on test scores and school rankings.

Detail:

Public K-6

111 Kirkwood Street
Picayune, MS 39466

(601) 798-3625

District: Picayune School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
213^th of 390 Mississippi Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,135

Students who attend West Side Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Picayune Junior High School
High:	Picayune Memorial High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.3

Number of students: 427

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.5%

African American:

27.6%

Two or more races:

7.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Mississippi elementary schools

Compare West Side Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Side Elementary School ranks worse than 54.6% of elementary schools in Mississippi. It also ranks 2^nd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Picayune School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 46.84. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details West Side Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Picayune School District. Racial makeup is: White (62.5%), African American (27.6%), two or more races (7.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Picayune School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Side Elementary School is 15.3. 2 elementary schools in the Picayune School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare West Side Elementary School employs 27.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Side Elementary School is $9,135, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Picayune School District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

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

Picayune School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Picayune School District 58^th of 130 Mississippi school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for West Side Elementary School.

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Rank History for West Side Elementary School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MS State Percentile
2008	56.30	179^th	394	54.6%
2009	50.22	203^rd	392	48.2%
2010	68.48	117^th	403	71.0%
2011	56.26	187^th	418	55.3%
2012	50.61	207^th	414	50.0%
2013	56.08	176^th	408	56.9%
2014	44.45	227^th	394	42.4%
2015	44.64	213^th	402	47.0%
2016	50.71	189^th	394	52.0%
2017	50.59	191^st	406	53.0%
2018	42.46	236^th	404	41.6%
2019	48.84	211^th	397	46.9%
2021	47.99	203^rd	381	46.7%
2022	31.41	263^rd	382	31.2%
2023	34.62	259^th	377	31.3%
2024	46.84	213^th	390	45.4%

See the entire list of Mississippi Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2.5)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I am really proud of the extra attention west side elementary teachers have shown to help my daughter when her grades started falling. They gave her some extra work to help her understand the material and communicated with me steps that I could do to help my daughter know how to study in a more complete fashion. This resulted in her wanting to understand the class material and she has gradually worked her grades better than she's ever had all year. Many thanks to the help and attention from the wesr side elementary staff. robert Close Quote

Enrollment information for West Side Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	216	101	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	320
1991	347	139	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	486
1992	353	137	2	1	1	n/a	n/a	494
1993	203	87	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	293
1994	227	94	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	326
1995	230	79	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	311
1996	230	79	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	311
1997	220	80	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	304
1998	195	78	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	273
1999	202	90	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	292
2000	318	136	0	8	1	n/a	n/a	463
2001	329	146	0	7	0	n/a	n/a	482
2002	386	130	0	3	1	n/a	n/a	520
2003	386	130	0	3	1	n/a	n/a	520
2004	361	117	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	485
2005	347	142	0	13	0	n/a	n/a	502
2006	382	155	1	12	0	n/a	n/a	550
2007	343	118	5	14	0	n/a	n/a	480
2008	334	125	2	8	1	n/a	n/a	470
2009	321	112	1	8	4	0	0	446
2010	320	99	3	9	3	0	7	441
2011	309	138	2	14	1	0	5	469
2012	307	158	5	12	0	0	9	491
2013	270	140	4	8	0	0	5	427
2014	260	147	2	8	0	0	6	423
2015	283	130	2	10	0	0	0	425
2016	288	124	4	10	0	0	3	429
2017	274	115	5	13	0	0	3	410
2018	278	108	4	13	3	0	19	425
2019	272	105	5	11	1	0	23	417
2020	243	130	5	10	2	0	22	412
2021	229	94	11	6	0	1	21	362
2022	248	101	10	5	0	0	27	391
2023	267	118	7	4	0	0	31	427

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 Side Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	320	18.9	16.9	n/a
1991	486	28.4	17.1	n/a
1992	494	28.5	17.3	44.7
1993	293	17.7	16.6	45.1
1994	326	17.4	18.7	46
1995	311	17.9	17.4	48.6
1996	311	17.9	17.4	48.6
1997	304	17.6	17.3	49.7
1998	273	20.7	13.2	49.1
1999	292	20.1	14.5	55.5
2000	463	27.2	17.0	57.9
2001	482	27.4	17.6	58.5
2002	520	26.5	19.6	63.5
2003	520	26.5	19.6	63.5
2004	485	25.8	18.8	59.8
2005	502	26.8	18.7	59.6
2006	550	27.3	20.1	99.5
2007	480	24.9	19.3	61.7
2008	470	24.0	19.6	63.4
2009	446	25.7	17.4	64.1
2010	441	27.2	16.1	66.4
2011	469	23.2	20.1	72.3
2012	491	23.2	21.1	76.6
2013	427	20.1	21.1	79.2
2014	423	21.7	19.4	79.9
2015	425	22.0	19.3	100
2016	429	24.0	17.8	100
2017	410	22.0	18.6	100
2018	425	25.0	16.9	100
2019	417	26.7	15.5	100
2020	412	22.8	18.0	100
2021	362	25.3	14.2	100
2022	391	22.9	17.0	100
2023	427	27.8	15.3	100

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 Side Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	320	18.9	16.9	n/a
1991	486	28.4	17.1	n/a
1992	494	28.5	17.3	44.7
1993	293	17.7	16.6	45.1
1994	326	17.4	18.7	46
1995	311	17.9	17.4	48.6
1996	311	17.9	17.4	48.6
1997	304	17.6	17.3	49.7
1998	273	20.7	13.2	49.1
1999	292	20.1	14.5	55.5
2000	463	27.2	17.0	57.9
2001	482	27.4	17.6	58.5
2002	520	26.5	19.6	63.5
2003	520	26.5	19.6	63.5
2004	485	25.8	18.8	59.8
2005	502	26.8	18.7	59.6
2006	550	27.3	20.1	99.5
2007	480	24.9	19.3	61.7
2008	470	24.0	19.6	63.4
2009	446	25.7	17.4	64.1
2010	441	27.2	16.1	66.4
2011	469	23.2	20.1	72.3
2012	491	23.2	21.1	76.6
2013	427	20.1	21.1	79.2
2014	423	21.7	19.4	79.9
2015	425	22.0	19.3	100
2016	429	24.0	17.8	100
2017	410	22.0	18.6	100
2018	425	25.0	16.9	100
2019	417	26.7	15.5	100
2020	412	22.8	18.0	100
2021	362	25.3	14.2	100
2022	391	22.9	17.0	100
2023	427	27.8	15.3	100

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 Side Elementary School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2017	$7,936
2018	$8,331
2019	$8,532
2020	$10,056
2021	$8,907
2022	$9,135

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West Side 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 211^th of 397 Elementary schools	Ranks 259^th of 377 Elementary schools	15.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (West Side Elementary School)	45.2	31.4	13.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Picayune School District)	48	42.8	5.2%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	48.3	51.6	3.3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (West Side Elementary School)	26.4	17.9	8.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Picayune School District)	33.8	37.4	3.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	51.4	54.8	3.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (West Side Elementary School)	44.4	52.1	7.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Picayune School District)	46.2	45.8	0.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	48.5	53.4	4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (West Side Elementary School)	25.9	48	22.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Picayune School District)	45.1	43.5	1.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	48.8	56.7	7.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (West Side Elementary School)	57.6	52.1	5.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Picayune School District)	44.3	47.1	2.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	43	51.9	8.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (West Side Elementary School)	38.9	31.2	7.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Picayune School District)	32.1	33.8	1.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	38.9	44.3	5.4%
5th Grade Science (West Side Elementary School)	58.9	48	10.9%
5th Grade Science (Picayune School District)	46.1	48.5	2.4%
5th Grade Science (Mississippi)	55.9	64.3	8.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (West Side Elementary School)	30.4	40.6	10.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Picayune School District)	36.9	41.2	4.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	33.6	40.3	6.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (West Side Elementary School)	46.4	32.2	14.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Picayune School District)	41.6	42.5	0.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	47.6	45.5	2.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	417	427	2.4%
African American	105	118	12.4%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	5	7	40%
Hispanic	11	4	63.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	272	267	1.8%
Two or More Races	23	31	34.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near West Side Elementary School

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 Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	Total
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	$9,135
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	$10,089
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)										$9,400
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	$10,680
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	$10,851
Pearl River Central Elementar	Public	PK, KG-5	116 Alphabet Ave	Carriere	39426	Pearl River County	Pearl River County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 799-4519	1,501	101	14.8	99.8%	1,286 (85.7%)	46 (3.1%)	30 (2.0%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	129 (8.6%)	68.1	116^th of 390 public elementary schools	70.3%		63.8	129^th of 377 public elementary schools	65.8%	13	58.9	62.9	53.2		59.2	62.9	55.4		84.4	$8,723
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	$13,477
Hancock North Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6122 Cuevas Town Road	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-7641	400	31	12.8	99.3%	382 (95.5%)	3 (0.8%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	85.3	44^th of 390 public elementary schools	88.7%		87.1	31^st of 377 public elementary schools	91.8%	13	67.2	73.9	61.1		72.4	81.1	76.4		86.1	$12,409
East Hancock Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4221 Kiln Delisle Rd.	Kiln	39556	Hancock County	Hancock County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 255-6637	639	45	14.1	99.5%	552 (86.4%)	28 (4.4%)	9 (1.4%)	12 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (5.3%)	94.1	11^th of 390 public elementary schools	97.2%		88.9	25^th of 377 public elementary schools	93.4%	14	87.0	74.3	77.7		88.8	84.9	87.2		90.5	$10,638

Frequently Asked Questions about West Side Elementary School

What district is West Side Elementary School in?

Picayune School District

How many students attend West Side Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 427 students attended West Side Elementary School.

Is West Side Elementary School a good school?

West Side Elementary School ranks 213^th of 390 Mississippi elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of West Side Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Picayune Junior High School
High : Picayune Memorial High School

What is the racial makeup of West Side Elementary School?

Students at West Side Elementary School are 63% White, 28% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.