Best Public Schools in Carriere, MS

The city of Carriere, Mississippi, is served by three public schools within the Pearl River County School District — Pearl River Central Elementary (PK–5), Pearl River Central Junior High (6–8), and Pearl River Central High School (9–12) — a district rated 5 stars and ranked 13th of 134 districts in Mississippi. All three schools improved their state rankings between 2024–25 and 2025–26, with the elementary moving from 125th to 106th, the junior high jumping from 122nd to 61st, and the high school climbing from 69th to 26th of 224 high schools statewide.

Pearl River Central High School is the academic anchor of the city, ranking in the 88th percentile and posting the strongest End of Course results: 83.9% proficient in Algebra I, 78.7% in Biology, and a graduation rate of 89.8% — all above state averages. Pearl River Central Junior High is the most improved school, with its state rank soaring 61 spots and its average proficiency across ELA, math, and science jumping 9.6 points, including a 17.5-point gain in 8th grade science and a 12.5-point gain in 6th grade math. Pearl River Central Elementary provides a strong foundation, boasting the highest single proficiency score in the city at 85.3% in 5th grade science, along with an 11.5-point gain in 3rd grade ELA.

Across all three schools, math and science are clear strengths, while ELA is more uneven — 7th grade ELA at 40.1% proficiency was the lowest score in 2025–26, even though it improved dramatically from 24.4% the prior year. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at every campus, ranging from 29.3% at the elementary to 36.2% at the high school, all above the state rate of 23.9%. More than half of students at each school qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet they outperform state averages in nearly every tested subject. With student–teacher ratios nearly identical across campuses (about 16:1), those ratios do not explain performance differences; instead, middle-grade ELA and chronic absenteeism stand out as the biggest opportunities for continued improvement in this above-average and clearly improving district.