Summary:
Walnut Grove, Mississippi is served by a single high school, Leake County High School, which enrolls 266 students in grades 7 through 12 and sits within the Leake County School District. Because this is the only high school in the city, the analysis focuses on how it performs compared to district and state benchmarks rather than against other local schools.
Leake County High School stands out for its remarkable 93.8% graduation rate, which beats the district rate of 82.1% and the state rate of 89.2%. This is especially notable given that 99.62% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning nearly every student comes from a low-income household. However, the school faces serious attendance challenges: its chronic absenteeism rate of 32.4% is well above the district's 23.8% and the state's 23.9%. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks 188th out of 224 Mississippi high schools, though it jumped to a 2-star rating at the 44th percentile in 2024-2025 before falling back.
Academically, Leake County High School largely trails state averages but often outperforms its own district, especially in end-of-course exams. In 2025-2026, for example, the school posted 46.5% proficiency in Biology versus 32.4% for the district, and 43.7% in Algebra I versus 38.8% for the district. The most striking finding is Algebra I volatility: proficiency soared to 81.9% in 2024-2025, above the state's 67.3%, then collapsed to 43.7% in 2025-2026. Middle school math and science are persistent weak spots, with 8th grade math at 30.0% and 8th grade science at 30.0% proficiency versus state averages above 51%. With only 266 students spread across six grades, small testing cohorts likely drive much of this variability, so families should view year-to-year swings cautiously while recognizing the school's genuine strengths in graduation and relative performance within its district.
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