Best Public Schools in Camden, MS

Camden, Mississippi, is served by two public schools—Velma Jackson High School (grades 9–12, enrollment 224) and Camden Elementary (grades K–5, enrollment 99)—both part of Madison County Schools, a district ranked 20th out of 134 districts in Mississippi. Both schools serve predominantly low-income families, with free/reduced-price lunch rates around 91–93%, and both have very low student-teacher ratios (about 6.7–6.8 to 1). Despite these structural similarities, the two schools tell very different stories when it comes to attendance and academics.

Velma Jackson High School is clearly the school in more urgent need of attention. Its state ranking has fallen from the 45th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 23rd percentile in 2025–2026, dropping to a 1-star rating. Chronic absenteeism stands at a staggering 41.6%—roughly double the state average and nearly seven times higher than Camden Elementary's excellent 6.3% rate. The high school's graduation rate (83.3%) trails both the district (91.3%) and state (89.2%), and English II proficiency fell to just 30.8%, about half the district rate. Camden Elementary, by contrast, posted a strong 87.5% proficiency in 5th Grade Science and above-district 3rd Grade Math, but it also suffered steep year-to-year declines in 3rd Grade ELA (-30.9 points) and 5th Grade Math (-27.6 points), making its recent performance volatile.

Notably, both schools underperform their district averages in most subjects despite Madison County Schools' strong statewide reputation, with gaps of roughly 30 points common in elementary math and ELA as well as high school English. Low student-teacher ratios have not translated into strong test scores, suggesting the challenges here are tied more to poverty, absenteeism, and student support than class size. The absence of a middle school in Camden may also contribute to the sharp spike in chronic absenteeism by high school, though the data does not include those grades. Camden Elementary offers clear bright spots to build on, while Velma Jackson requires immediate, targeted intervention around attendance, literacy, and graduation readiness.