Best Public Schools in Zip Code 39440

Summary:

The 39440 zip code area is home to 5 schools, including 2 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school, all part of the Laurel School District. While the district as a whole struggles, with a 2-star rating and ranking in the bottom third of Mississippi districts, one school stands out as a shining example of academic excellence - the Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts.

The Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts consistently ranks among the top schools in the state, earning a #1 ranking in 2021-2022 and a #3 ranking in 2023-2024 out of 390 Mississippi elementary schools. Its test scores are significantly higher than the district and state averages, with 86.9% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts and 89.2% proficient in math, compared to just 38.4% and 28.5% for the district, respectively. In contrast, the other schools in the 39440 zip code struggle to meet state averages, with many scoring 20-30 percentage points lower in proficiency rates.

Despite the high-poverty student population, with all 5 schools having 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts is able to provide a high-quality education. The school spends $9,033 per student, less than the $15,793 spent at Laurel High School, yet its performance far exceeds that of the other schools in the district. This suggests that factors beyond just funding, such as the magnet school's specialized curriculum and teaching methods, are contributing to its exceptional outcomes.

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 (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 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	Total
Laurel High School	Public	9-12	1100 W 12th Street	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 649-4145	708	37	18.9	100.0%	16 (2.3%)	605 (85.5%)	82 (11.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	16.9	196^th of 228 public high schools	14.0%		22.1	176^th of 226 public high schools	22.1%	20													41.0	30.9			46.7	49.1	$12,162
Laurel Education Center	Public, Alternative	4-12	795 South 19th Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 649-5195	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Laurel High School Vocational Complex	Public	9-12	1100 W 11th Street	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 649-4144	0	4	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Laurel Middle School	Public	7-8	1600 Grandview Drive	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 428-5312	555	36	15.5	100.0%	11 (2.0%)	456 (82.2%)	75 (13.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.0%)	18	220^th of 264 public middle schools	16.7%		18.5	206^th of 243 public middle schools	15.2%	14					21.0	31.6					33.8	20.1				42.7			$11,506
Laurel Upper Elementary	Public	5-6	600 South 16th Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 428-8573	295	27	11.0	100.0%	8 (2.7%)	237 (80.3%)	43 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)								(n/a)			22.5	13.0					15.7	12.4					30.0				$12,647
Jones County Career & Technical Educational Center	Public	7-12	2409 Moose Drive	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 425-2378	0	8	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1125 North 5th Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(601) 428-7446	329	25	13.3	100.0%	28 (8.5%)	276 (83.9%)	10 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	97	3^rd of 390 public elementary schools	99.2%		93.2	12^th of 377 public elementary schools	96.8%	9	86.9	95.4	82.2	65.7			89.2	95.5	86.7	94.7					93.4				$11,243
Oak Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1205 Oak Park Avenue	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 428-5046	480	30	16.0	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	412 (85.8%)	59 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.9%)								(n/a)																			$10,777
Nora Davis Elementary School	Public	2-4	1305 Martin Luther King Ave	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(601) 438-3140	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	9	372^nd of 390 public elementary schools	4.6%					(n/a)	27.1	28.8					14.3	30.6

Cities Near Zip Code 39440

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Laurel	1.04 mi	15	98^th
Ellisville	8.64 mi	3	65^th
Heidelberg	14.38 mi	3	88^th
Stringer	14.55 mi	1
Waynesboro	17.48 mi	7	114^th

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.