Summary:
The city of Lumberton, Mississippi, is served by three public schools in the Lamar County School District—Lumberton Elementary School (PK–6), Lumberton High School (7–12), and Baxterville School (PK–8)—together enrolling 772 students in a high-poverty area where free/reduced-price lunch eligibility ranges from 78% to 90%.
The standout is Baxterville School, the only school in Lumberton currently rated 3 stars. It has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.0%) and consistently outperforms its local counterparts, with 2024–2025 math proficiency exceeding district and state averages in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, plus standout science results in 5th grade (78.9% proficient). In contrast, Lumberton High School has fallen sharply from a 4-star, 71st-percentile ranking in 2023–2024 to a 1-star, 18th-percentile school. Its graduation rate is just 77.3%, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 32.2% is the highest in the group—likely tied to steep drops in Biology (66.6% to 39.6%) and English II (52.7% to 33.3%) proficiency. Lumberton Elementary School has remained persistently low, earning 1 or 2 stars each year, with a striking 5th-grade math collapse: only 9.3% proficient in 2025–2026 compared to 52.0% districtwide and 49.6% statewide.
Attendance is a clear differentiator: Baxterville’s 14.0% absenteeism aligns with its strong results, while Lumberton Elementary (24.9%) and Lumberton High (32.2%) lag academically. The district itself is rated in the 78th percentile statewide, yet two of the three Lumberton schools sit in the bottom third of all Mississippi schools—a significant intra-district gap. Grade configuration also matters: Lumberton High School includes 7th and 8th graders, while Baxterville School is labeled an elementary school but serves through 8th grade. For parents, Baxterville offers the most encouraging picture, while the district’s other two schools face serious challenges in math, science, attendance, and, in the high school’s case, graduation outcomes.
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