Summary:
Shannon, Mississippi, is served by four public schools in the Lee County school district, spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade with a total enrollment of about 1,225 students, all of whom attend schools with high poverty rates (roughly 80–87% free/reduced lunch). The district overall ranks in the middle of Mississippi, but the Shannon schools mostly trail district and state averages, with a clear pattern of rising challenges as students get older.
For parents, the standout positives are in the early grades. Shannon Elementary School has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the area at 13.4%—better than both the district (26.2%) and state (23.9%)—and its 5th grade science proficiency is an impressive 84%, well above the state’s 71.5%. The school also made big year-over-year gains in 3rd grade reading and math. Shannon Primary School (PK–2) also shows strong attendance at 16.0%, though no test data is available. However, Shannon Elementary has a red flag: 4th grade math proficiency plunged from 32.5% to 19.8%, a gap of more than 30 points below the state.
The middle and high schools face more serious struggles. Shannon Middle School has seen its state ranking fall from the 33rd to 21st percentile over three years; while 6th and 8th grade math improved, ELA scores slipped, and chronic absenteeism is 37.6%. Shannon High School is the most concerning: its graduation rate is just 67.2% versus 89.2% statewide, more than half of students (53.9%) are chronically absent, and proficiency in Algebra I, English II, and Biology is far below state averages. The overall picture shows young students in Shannon attend well and show potential, but engagement and achievement drop sharply through middle and high school—suggesting that school-level supports, transitions, and attendance strategies deserve close attention.
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