Best Public Schools in Holly Springs, MS

Holly Springs, Mississippi, is served by 7 public schools—three elementary schools (Holly Springs Primary School, H. W. Byers Elementary, and Galena School), two middle schools (Holly Springs Intermediate School and Holly Springs Junior High School), and two high schools (H. W. Byers High School and Holly Springs High School)—enrolling 1,755 students across the Marshall County School District and the Holly Springs School District. Every school serves a predominantly low-income population, with an average free/reduced-price lunch rate of 94.6%, and chronic absenteeism averages 30.6%, well above the state rate of 23.9%. Only Galena School and H. W. Byers Elementary meet or beat the state attendance benchmark.

Several schools stand out. Galena School, the smallest school with 138 students in grades K–8, posts district-leading results: 64.7% proficiency in 8th grade math and science, well above state averages, and the lowest chronic absenteeism at 21.6%. Holly Springs Junior High School jumped from the 13th to the 42nd percentile in one year, with 7th grade math proficiency at 71.4% versus the state's 57.7%. H. W. Byers High School, despite a 99.17% poverty rate, exceeds the state average in Algebra I (70% vs. 67.3%) and nearly matches it in Biology, with an 88.6% graduation rate. By contrast, Holly Springs High School graduates 95.5% of students—above the state average—yet ranks in the 17th percentile, with 43.3% chronic absenteeism and English II proficiency at just 28.3% versus the state's 49.3%.

Overall, mathematics is a relative strength while English Language Arts lags, making literacy the highest-leverage area for improvement. High poverty does not preclude success: the highest-performing schools—Galena School, Holly Springs Junior High School, and H. W. Byers High School—all serve poverty rates above 91%, suggesting school-level practices and attendance culture matter more than demographics. Student-teacher ratios range from 10.8:1 at H. W. Byers High School to 18.3:1 at Holly Springs Primary School, with the strongest results in lower-ratio schools. Encouragingly, several schools are on upward trajectories—Holly Springs Junior High School (11th to 42nd percentile) and Galena School (22nd to 36th percentile)—indicating that targeted instructional and attendance efforts are beginning to pay off.