St Martin Upper Elementary School

11000 Yellow Jacket Road

School District

Jackson Co School Dist
Grade

4-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 16, 2024

I DISLIKE this school so much, some of the teachers are rude. The playground doesn’t have that much to it and you can’t even wear What you want, you have to wear a uniform all the time. Most of the schools I went to didn’t even have uniforms.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2018

My son is a 5th grader at SMUE, and he really enjoys going to school. They have fun social gatherings such as dances and pizza parties. The teachers and faculty are professional and friendly. The gifted program, "Wings" allows my son to explore STEM more deeply once a week. Other than Wings, my son doesn't seem as challenged as I would like for him to be. One issue I have with the Jackson County School District is the extreme emphasis on sports, and not enough emphasis on academics. Because of a lack of adequate state funding, the students at SMUE must share text books, which means they cannot take them home. There is very little homework ( I wish there was more). There is no foreign language instruction or band. But overall, my son is happy and enjoys school, and that is important. If I stay in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area, I will try to get into the Ocean Springs School District which is better funded and has a great reputation.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2012

My daughter arrived in the St. Martin School system during her first grade year. We were afraid of the transition because we were moving from a high performing district in Georgia. My daughter had a fantastic experience at St. Martin East and St. Martin North. We were quite nervous about the big move to Upper Elementary, however the transition has been very smooth. I have found the teachers and staff will go out of their way to help any parent and/or student that needs their attention. There are always opportunities for parents to be involved in classroom activities, even in the Gifted Center. Parent involvment is appreciated as well. I feel very thankful that my daughter is involved in a school that emphasizes character building, free thinking, along with getting through the required state testing. This is a fantastic district that I continue to recommend to friends looking for a new home and different school for their child(ren).
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2010

My child is in 4th grade at SMUE. After a great experience at SMNE from K through 3rd, we expected the experience to continue. That was evidently too much to expect. I am told that our state testing here in MS is some of the most difficult there is in the country, but this is ridiculous. Volumes and volumes of information are thrown at the kids in an effort to make sure everyone passes the tests. The problem is, it is so much that it becomes all about memorization. There is a big difference in memorizing and actually learning. My child's teachers are wonderful, but they seem overwhelmed by the way they are expected to shove information at the kids without the time to really teach. I have the distinct impression that they don't agree with it at all but they feel their hands are tied.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2010

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