Parkway Elementary, 628 Rutherford Road: kindergarten to second grade, 428 students in 2023-24, and a C from the state with 387 points for 2025-26.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Parkway Elementary website, its leadership page and fast facts; 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.
Parkway Elementary School is a Tupelo Public School District school for kindergarten through second grade in west Tupelo. It is paired with Lawndale Elementary, which teaches third through fifth grade for the same zone, the south and southwest of the district.
- Address: 628 Rutherford Road, Tupelo, MS 38801
- Phone: 662-844-6303
- Grades: K to 2
- Website: tupeloschools.com/parkway
Who to call
- Front office: 662-844-6303
- Enrollment and attendance zones: the district’s Student Support Services, 662-841-8955
- Buses: the district’s Transportation Department, 662-841-8908
- District central office: 72 S. Green St., 662-841-8850
Principal
Principal Carmen Gary, according to the school’s website, which lists Reagan Sawyer as guidance counselor. The school’s fast facts list 40 teachers, eight National Board Certified Teachers, a STEM lab and one Chromebook per student.
Enrollment and teachers
The most recent federal count, from the NCES directory for the 2023-24 school year, is 428 students and 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 10.2 students per teacher. The state’s 2025-26 report card counts 34.2 teacher FTEs.
State report card
Parkway earned a C for 2025-26, with 387 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 shows an A, but the state says the two years cannot be compared (see below).
From the same file and the school’s report card:
| Measure, 2025-26 | Parkway Elementary |
|---|---|
| Reading proficiency | 33.3% |
| Math proficiency | 39.5% |
| Reading growth, all students | 56.4% |
| Math growth, all students | 40.4% |
| Chronically absent students | 21.4% |
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 Parkway. 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 Parkway and Lawndale zone covers the south and southwest of the district: roughly south of West Main Street and Chesterville Road, including Cliff Gookin Boulevard, Mitchell Road, Green Tee Road and the Highway 6 corridor west of the Natchez Trace.
Feeder pattern: kindergarten through second grade at Parkway, third through fifth grade at Lawndale 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, Parkway 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
- The district’s schools page and the school’s website
- The state’s Parkway Elementary report card
- Every public school in Tupelo, with grades and report cards: our Tupelo public schools guide
- Registration, the school board and the full calendar: our Tupelo schools guide
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Parkway Elementary serve?
Kindergarten through second grade. Children in its zone move on to Lawndale Elementary for third through fifth grade.
What grade did Parkway Elementary get from the state?
A C for 2025-26, with 387 of 700 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results released Oct. 15, 2026. A school needed 402 points for a B.
What time does Parkway 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 Parkway Elementary feed into?
Lawndale Elementary for third through fifth grade, then Milam Elementary, Tupelo Middle School and Tupelo High School.
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