Best Public Schools in Sarah, MS

Sarah, Mississippi, is served by just two public schools in the Tate County School District, both of which enroll roughly 400 students and serve predominantly low-income families, with about 68-70% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch and a 14:1 student-teacher ratio at both campuses. Strayhorn Elementary School serves grades K-6, while Strayhorn High School serves grades 7-12, meaning there is no standalone middle school in the city. The district itself is rated low compared to the rest of the state, ranking 109 out of 134 Mississippi districts, but the two schools within it are headed in very different directions.

Strayhorn Elementary School is the clear standout and a bright spot in an otherwise struggling district. It currently holds a 3-star state rating and ranks in the top half of Mississippi elementary schools (166 out of 377). It outperforms the district and state in 3rd and 4th grade ELA and math, with 4th grade ELA proficiency at 69.3% — nearly 17 points above the state average. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 20.5% is well below the district rate of 29.0% and even below the state rate of 23.9%. The one area of concern is 5th grade math, where only 33.3% of students are proficient, far below the state average of 49.6%.

Strayhorn High School, on the other hand, is in crisis. Its state ranking collapsed from the 40th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026, dropping the school to a 0-star rating. Chronic absenteeism is severe at 38.6% — nearly 4 in 10 students miss school regularly. Test scores are far below state averages across the board: 7th grade ELA proficiency is just 17.9%, English II proficiency fell from 44% to 18.9% in one year, and biology proficiency is 39.7% versus the state's 63.1%. The graduation rate of 86.7% also trails the state. These two schools serve nearly identical populations, so the stark contrast suggests the strong elementary foundation is being lost somewhere in the transition to 7th grade, and the high school clearly needs urgent attention.