Joyner Elementary, 1201 Joyner Ave.: kindergarten to second grade, 430 students in 2023-24, and a B from the state with 439 points for 2025-26.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Joyner Elementary website, its leadership page, fast facts and points of pride; the Tupelo Public School District’s schools page, K-5 attendance zone map (PDF), 2026-27 calendar (PDF) and 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times (PDF); the Mississippi Department of Education’s 2026 accountability results and report card; and the federal NCES school directory.

Joyner Elementary School is a Tupelo Public School District school for kindergarten through second grade in the Joyner neighborhood. It is paired with Rankin Elementary, which teaches third through fifth grade for the same zone. The school’s points of pride page calls it a Mississippi Whole Schools model campus for arts integration.

Who to call

Principal

Principal Kim Foster, according to the school’s website, which lists Karly Spires as guidance counselor. The school’s fast facts count 37 certified employees and seven National Board Certified Teachers.

Enrollment and teachers

The most recent federal count, from the NCES directory for the 2023-24 school year, is 430 students and 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 9.8 students per teacher. The state’s 2025-26 report card counts 32 teacher FTEs.

State report card

Joyner earned a B for 2025-26, with 439 of 700 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results file, released Oct. 15, 2026. A school needed 402 points for a B and 457 for an A this year, according to the state’s guide to the system (PDF). The school’s 2024-25 report card also shows a B.

From the same file and the school’s report card:

Measure, 2025-26 Joyner Elementary
Reading proficiency 49.6%
Math proficiency 50.0%
Reading growth, all students 68.4%
Math growth, all students 62.5%
Chronically absent students 24.9%

A note on these figures: Mississippi’s state tests are given in grades 3 through 8 and in high school, according to the department’s public reporting page, so the proficiency and growth figures the state lists for a kindergarten-to-second-grade school are not from tests taken at Joyner. The school’s report card page does not explain how they are assigned. The district’s Assessment and Testing office is at 662-840-5909.

Mississippi grades every school and district from A to F, counting test scores, how much students improve from one year to the next, with extra weight on the lowest-performing 25% of students, and English learners’ progress. Because the writing part of the English test was field tested in 2026, the state used the higher of the 2025-26 or 2024-25 English results. The state also raised the bar this year, and says 2025-26 grades set a new baseline that “cannot be compared” to earlier years.

Attendance zone

On the district’s K-5 attendance zone map (PDF), the Joyner and Rankin zone covers the northwest and center of the district: north of roughly West Jackson Street, from the Endville Road and Walsh Road area in the west to Joyner Avenue and McCullough Boulevard in the east, including Lumpkin Avenue and Jackson Street Extended. Our Joyner neighborhood guide covers the streets around the school.

Feeder pattern: kindergarten through second grade at Joyner, third through fifth grade at Rankin Elementary, then Milam Elementary for sixth grade, Tupelo Middle School and Tupelo High School.

Zones do not follow city limits or mailing addresses. Student Support Services handles “identifying school attendance zones” and in-district transfer requests; call 662-841-8955 to confirm an address. We found no zone change approved by the school board.

Calendar and bell times

On the district’s 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times, Joyner starts at 7:50 a.m. and dismisses at 2:40 p.m. The latest check-in is 10 a.m. and the earliest check-out 12:30 p.m. Early dismissal is at 12:05 p.m.; on a one-hour delay school starts at 8:50 a.m., and on a two-hour delay at 9:50 a.m.

From the district’s 2026-27 calendar:

  • Monday, Oct. 19: classes resume after fall break
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving holidays
  • Friday, Dec. 18: end of the second quarter, early dismissal
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: Christmas holidays; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • March 8-12, 2027: spring break

More

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Joyner Elementary serve?

Kindergarten through second grade. Children in its zone move on to Rankin Elementary for third through fifth grade.

What grade did Joyner Elementary get from the state?

A B for 2025-26, with 439 of 700 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results released Oct. 15, 2026. A school needed 402 points for a B and 457 for an A.

What time does Joyner Elementary start?

7:50 a.m., with dismissal at 2:40 p.m., on the district’s 2026-27 arrival and dismissal schedule. Early dismissal days end at 12:05 p.m.

Which school does Joyner Elementary feed into?

Rankin Elementary for third through fifth grade, then Milam Elementary, Tupelo Middle School and Tupelo High School.