Case Study: Central Elementary School achieves dramatic academic growth and top district rankings with Edmentum

From Average to Exceptional - Stellar Growth and Positive Energy in Lucedale

Central Elementary School in Lucedale, Mississippi (≈600 K–6 students; 73% free/reduced lunch) had long been a middle-to-low performer in its district. When Principal Zach Bost and Assistant Principal Sherry Pilkington took over in 2017, they set out to change the school’s culture and academics despite high poverty levels and low expectations.

They combined a positive-school culture (The Energy Bus, daily morning activities, Houses, 30+ clubs) with targeted, data-driven instruction using Edmentum’s Reading Eggs (K–2), Exact Path with NWEA MAP integration, and Study Island (3–6). After focused implementation and daily enrichment/Tiger Time interventions, Central rose to #1 in the district for MAP Growth, achieved 99th-percentile growth for grades 2–6, saw math proficiency climb from 32.3% to 45.2% and ELA from 31.2% to 46.8%, boosted 5th-grade science from 71% to 83.3%, and posted strong kindergarten gains—positioning the school for its first-ever A accountability rating.

Central Elementary School

Zack Bost

Principal