High Schools in Jackson

The Jackson County school district in Florida is home to four high schools serving grades 6-12, including three traditional schools and one specialized program, with the district itself ranking in the bottom third of the state.

For parents, the standout school is Cottondale High School, which consistently earns a 3-star rating and achieves the highest academic proficiency in the district, with 78% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 75% in 10th Grade ELA—far exceeding both district and state averages. However, this success comes with a major caveat: Cottondale also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 61%, well above the state average of 31.4%. Marianna High School leads in graduation rates at 95.4%, outperforming the district (89.4%) and state (92.2%), but its test scores are generally below state averages. Sneads High School is the most volatile, having jumped to a 4-star rating in 2024-2025 before dropping back to 3 stars, and it shows inconsistent results like a strong 76% in US History but a weak 23% in Algebra 1. The Jackson County Teen Parenting Program is a very small specialized program with only 6 students, making direct comparisons difficult.

A key takeaway is the district-wide chronic absenteeism crisis, with all three main schools having rates between 48% and 61%, significantly higher than the state average. Interestingly, there is an inverse relationship between spending and performance: Sneads spends the most per student ($11,995) but has the lowest graduation rate and Algebra 1 scores, while Cottondale spends the least ($11,223) yet achieves the best test scores. This suggests that factors beyond funding, such as school culture and curriculum, are driving academic outcomes in Jackson County.