Summary:
Mendenhall, Mississippi is served by two public schools within the Simpson County School District — Mendenhall Elementary School (grades PK–6, 598 students) and Mendenhall High School (grades 7–12, 646 students) — together enrolling 1,244 students in a community where more than 85% of children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The elementary school is generally the stronger performer. Its overall average proficiency across tested subjects is about 38.7% versus 31.9% at the high school, and it posts notable bright spots: 5th grade science proficiency reaches 62.4% (close to the state’s 71.5%), and 4th grade ELA at 50.8% nearly matches the state average of 52.4%. Chronic absenteeism, while high at 35.7%, is still well below the district rate of 41.0%. Mendenhall High School, by contrast, faces serious challenges: more than half of its students (53.0%) are chronically absent, math proficiency lags far behind state averages (e.g., 7th grade math at 19.7% vs. 57.7% statewide), and its state ranking has fallen from the 25th percentile to the 14th percentile in two years. Still, the high school’s graduation rate of 88.1% exceeds the district average and nearly matches the state rate of 89.2%.
Math is the weakest subject across both schools, with gaps of 20 to 37 percentage points below state averages in several grades and courses. The high school has shown some improvement in 8th grade math and ELA over the past year, but sharp declines in Algebra I and Biology suggest inconsistent cohorts rather than steady gains. Both schools are ranked in the bottom quarter of Mississippi schools, and the district itself sits at the 18th percentile statewide. High poverty and high absenteeism help explain much of the performance gap, but the elementary school’s near-state-average results in select subjects show that progress is possible. Addressing chronic absenteeism, especially at the high school, would likely be the most effective way to improve academic outcomes across Mendenhall.
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