Enterprise Elementary School has been named the No. 1 elementary school in Mississippi for the second consecutive year. Students and teachers celebrated the achievement Friday, Oct. 16, during a school wide recognition ceremony honoring academic excellence.
Principal Angie Ledbetter praised students for their hard work and highlighted the importance of effort, teamwork and support from educators across all grade levels.
“We are so happy to celebrate, and we're so proud of you,” Ledbetter told students.
The ceremony recognized students who earned Level 3, Level 4 or Level 5 scores on English language arts (ELA) or math assessments administered last spring. Students who earned perfect scores in individual subjects or in both ELA and math received special recognition.
The school also honored fourth grade teachers whose students’ assessment results ranked among the state’s highest.
Ten students earned Level 5 scores in both ELA and math: Caden Weaver, Wilder Allen, Mallory Irby, Addie Sue Mosley, Ceyanna Arrington, Jake Roberts, Bentley Smith, Drake Weathers, Hayden Williams and Lillie Neese.
Ledbetter invited teachers who taught the students during the previous school year to present certificates recognizing their accomplishments.
Third-grade students Everly Farris and Sophia Fuller earned perfect scores in ELA. Jackson Griffin and Bastian Sims earned perfect scores in third-grade math.
Fourth-grade math students recognized for perfect scores were Bentley Smith, Layla Cook, Juliana May, Mary-Henley Gilbert, Lily Rolison, Kallie Sims, Jensen Ivey, Preston Boykin, Sophie Pillsbury, Jacie Goldman, Lillie Neese and Hayden Williams.
Drake Weathers earned perfect scores in both fourth grade reading and math.
Ledbetter praised the students for their accomplishments, noting the difficulty of answering every question correctly.
Enterprise Elementary also recognized teachers whose students earned assessment results ranking among Mississippi’s highest.
Fourth-grade ELA teachers Daphne Elkins and Leigh Ann Snowden were recognized for student scores that ranked among the state’s top 25. Snowden was not present at the ceremony.
Fourth-grade math teachers Julie Akins and Stephanie Rozzell were recognized for student scores that ranked among the state’s top 10.
Ledbetter also thanked teachers who taught the students in earlier grades, emphasizing that academic achievement reflects the work of educators throughout a child’s school experience.
“Even though these third- and fourth-grade teachers are the ones that are handing out the certificates, all of you other teachers that are sitting here, you’re finding students that you taught in pre-K or kindergarten, first or second, and that attributed just as much to their success,” Ledbetter said.
She thanked those educators for helping establish the foundation for students’ academic growth.
Enterprise School District Superintendent Marlon Brannon congratulated students and staff on the district’s achievement of having both the state’s top-ranked elementary school and high school for the 2025-26 school year.
“I am extremely proud to announce that Enterprise School District has both the #1 ranked high school in Mississippi and the #1 ranked elementary school in Mississippi for the 2025-2026 school year. It is an elite accomplishment to be atop either of those lists, but it is unprecedented to be #1 on both lists and ESD has now done that two years in a row. I want to congratulate ESD students and staff for their amazing accomplishments. Go DOGS!” Brannon said.
The celebration recognized the combined efforts of students, teachers and staff as Enterprise Elementary marked another year of academic distinction.
For the second consecutive year, Enterprise High School is ranked at the top of the Mississippi Department of Education Accountability Rankings. EHS scored a total of 880 points out of a possible 1000 accountability points. “This accomplishment belongs to our students and our teachers.” says EHS Principal John Welch. “Our teachers are extremely committed to the success of our students. Our students work to reach expectations set by our staff. I am very proud of both our teachers and our students. Their hard work and dedication puts us in a position each year to be in the top of the accountability rankings.”
EHS also earned the highest math proficiency in the state for 2026, the highest assessment readiness rank, and the fourth highest achievement readiness rank.
“I’m very proud of our Algebra I team,” says Welch. “They work very well together to accomplish great things and to make our students successful.”
Concerning the readiness rankings, Welch stated,” These numbers show that EHS is preparing students for after graduation.”
Assessment readiness rankings come from a school’s ACT and ACT Workkeys scores. Achievement is calculated based on graduation diploma endorsements earned. Both of these rankings come from the Class of 2026 for EHS.
EHS also ranked in the top ten in reading proficiency and reading bottom 25% growth. Top fifteen rankings were earned for reading total growth and science proficiency.
“Every teacher, coach, assistant, and staff member contributed to these rankings,” says Welch. It’s a privilege to be the principal at EHS. Our students are excellent in every way, and we have the best faculty and staff around. I couldn’t be prouder.”
