Summary:
Durant, Mississippi is served by 2 public schools — Durant Elementary School (grades K-5) and Williams-Sullivan Middle School (grades 6-8) — with a combined enrollment of 434 students, and no high school within the city, so students must leave Durant after 8th grade. Both schools belong to the Holmes County Consolidated district, a 1-star district ranked 116 of 134 in Mississippi, and both report 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high-poverty community. Despite these challenges, both schools show meaningful bright spots worth noting.
Durant Elementary is the area's standout improver. In two years, it has climbed from the bottom 11% of Mississippi elementary schools to the 36th percentile, now ranking 241 of 377 statewide. Its 5th grade science proficiency of 76.7% beats the state average (71.5%) and far outpaces the district (60.4%). Williams-Sullivan Middle School posts exceptional attendance: only 9.3% chronic absenteeism, versus 30.9% for the district and 23.9% statewide. The middle school also shines in 8th grade science at 61.4% proficient, above the state's 57.8%. A smaller student-teacher ratio of 11.2, versus 16.1 at the elementary school, may help support these gains.
The biggest hurdle remains reading and math. Durant Elementary's 3rd grade ELA proficiency is just 19.4% versus 48.5% statewide, and Williams-Sullivan's 6th grade math sits at 18.0% versus 52.7% statewide — gaps of roughly 30 and 35 points. However, some grades show promise, like 4th grade ELA (47.8%) and math (45.5%) at the elementary, and 8th grade math at the middle school has risen to 33.4%. With strong science, improving rankings, and standout attendance, both schools demonstrate progress despite high poverty. Families should weigh the clear strengths in science and engagement against the persistent literacy and math gaps, and plan for the transition to a high school outside Durant after 8th grade.
Thank you for your feedback!