Best Public Schools in Bruce, MS

Bruce, Mississippi, is served by two public schools in the Calhoun County School District, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 57th out of 134 districts in the state. Bruce High School serves 435 students in grades 5 through 12, and Bruce Elementary serves 316 students in grades Pre-K through 4. With no standalone middle school, Bruce High functions as both a middle and high school. Both schools serve economically disadvantaged communities, with 67.8% of high school students and 74.1% of elementary students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Bruce Elementary is the standout for early learning: its 4th grade math proficiency reached 67.4% in 2025–2026, well above the district (50.7%) and state (51.5%), and its chronic absenteeism rate is just 10.1%, far below the district (15.8%) and state (23.9%). However, 3rd grade math plummeted to 26.2%, compared to the state average of 48.8%. Bruce High School counters with an impressive 93.7% graduation rate, above the district (89.4%) and state (89.2%), plus strong 6th grade math (60.4%) and 8th grade science (57.9%). Yet its chronic absenteeism of 25.5% is more than double the elementary school's, and its state ranking fell from the 62nd percentile in 2024–2025 to the 36th percentile in 2025–2026.

High school math scores reveal a troubling pattern: proficiency is strong in 6th grade (60.4%) but collapses to 31.6% by 8th grade and just 42% on Algebra I, far below the state's 66%. English II (43.4%) also trails the state (49.3%), yet 93.7% of students still graduate—a sign that diplomas may not fully reflect college and career readiness. Both schools have lost ground in state rankings, with Bruce Elementary slipping from the 61st to the 49th percentile. Given that roughly 68–74% of students face economic disadvantage, Bruce Elementary's low absenteeism and stellar 4th grade results prove that strong outcomes are achievable. The urgent priorities should be improving middle-school math, attacking chronic absenteeism in grades 5–12, and stabilizing the schools' rankings before further declines occur.