Best Public Schools in Brooklyn, MS

Brooklyn, Mississippi, a small rural community, is served by two schools with a combined enrollment of 1,166 students: South Forrest Attendance Center serving grades PK–8 and Forrest County Agricultural High School serving grades 9–12. South Forrest belongs to Forrest County School District, while the high school functions as its own single-school district — a rarity in Mississippi. Both schools are rated 4 stars by SchoolDigger: the Forrest County Agricultural High School district places 23rd of 134, and Forrest County School District places 38th.

South Forrest Attendance Center stands out for early literacy and middle-school mathematics. Its 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency is 77.1% versus 48.5% statewide, and 7th-grade math reaches 83.3% compared with the state's 57.7%. However, 5th-grade ELA dips below the state average, and math in grades 3–5 trails — a pattern suggesting targeted middle-school interventions. Forrest County Agricultural High School, meanwhile, posts strong end-of-course results: 73.5% Algebra I proficiency, 71.1% Biology, and an 89.9% graduation rate, all above state averages. Its student–teacher ratio of 10.8 is far lower than South Forrest Attendance Center's 16.6, allowing more individualized attention despite a 77.2% free/reduced lunch rate.

The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism: 42.2% at Forrest County Agricultural High School and 26.1% at South Forrest Attendance Center, both exceeding the state's 23.9%. The high school's state ranking has also swung dramatically, from the 54th percentile in 2023–24 to the 91st in 2024–25 and back to the 71st in 2025–26, while South Forrest has held steady near the 70th–72nd percentile. Overall, both schools outperform expectations given their high-poverty populations. Parents choosing between them will find Forrest County Agricultural High School academically strong but with an attendance problem worth watching, while South Forrest Attendance Center offers a consistent K–8 option with exceptional middle-school math growth and strong early reading.