Summary:
Byhalia, Mississippi has three public schools—Byhalia Elementary School (K-4), Byhalia Middle School (5-8), and Byhalia High School (9-12)—all part of the Marshall County School District and serving a student population where more than 99% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among the three schools, Byhalia High School stands out as the strongest overall performer, with the best state rank (40th percentile), the lowest student-teacher ratio at 12.8:1, and Algebra I proficiency within about 3 points of the state average. Byhalia Elementary School has made the biggest improvement, jumping from the 4th percentile to the 32nd percentile over three years, and its 4th grade ELA score now essentially matches the state. Byhalia Middle School’s science program is a hidden strength: 8th grade science proficiency is at state level, and 5th grade science jumped 18 points in one year. However, the elementary school struggles in 3rd grade math (23.5% proficient), and the middle school lags in 8th grade ELA, suggesting that gains are uneven across grades and subjects.
Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, rising from 24.2% at the elementary school to 29.8% at the high school, all above the state average of 23.9%. The high school’s graduation rate of 84.3% trails the state’s 89.2%, though this is understandable given the high poverty levels. On a positive note, all three schools have improved their rankings over the past three years, and the high school’s U.S. History and Algebra I scores show that Byhalia students can achieve near state parity. The main levers for further growth are reducing absenteeism, strengthening early-grade math, and raising English II and Biology proficiency.
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