Summary:
The city of Quitman, Mississippi, is served by four public schools in the Quitman School District, collectively enrolling about 1,459 students from Pre-K through 12th grade. The district ranks in the 32nd percentile statewide and carries a 2-star rating, but individual schools vary widely in performance.
Quitman Upper Elementary School is the district’s academic bright spot, ranking in the 46th percentile and posting 4th grade math and ELA scores slightly above state averages. Quitman High School stands out for its strong 95.6% graduation rate, well above the state’s 89.2%, and its ranking improved from the 20th to the 33rd percentile in one year. However, the high school struggles with literacy, as only 33.8% of students are proficient in English II versus 49.3% statewide. The most concerning school is Quitman Junior High School, which ranks in the 14th percentile and has declined for three straight years. Every subject tested there is below state averages, with 8th grade math proficiency at just 13.8% compared to 51.4% statewide.
Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide crisis: every school exceeds the state rate of 23.9%, and Quitman High School tops the list at 46.5%. Poverty is also widespread, with 75–82% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch where reported. Quitman Lower Elementary has no test scores but stands out for an extremely high student-teacher ratio of 38.6 and a chronic absenteeism rate of 32.9%. A clear pattern emerges: students leave Quitman Upper Elementary School performing near state averages in math, then experience a sharp academic cliff by 7th and 8th grade. The most urgent priorities should be reducing chronic absenteeism, addressing the middle school decline, and investing in early-grade staffing.
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