Best Public Schools in Winona, MS

The city of Winona, Mississippi, is served by two public schools—Winona Elementary School (grades PK–6, 567 students) and Winona Secondary School (grades 7–12, 502 students)—both part of the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District, which together educate 1,069 students in a community where poverty is pervasive: more than 99% of students at each school qualify for free or reduced lunch. The district is rated 1 star and ranks 107th of 134 Mississippi districts (20th percentile), a result that reflects significant challenges. Both schools carry 1-star ratings, placing them in the bottom quarter of their school categories.

Winona Elementary School shows a clear pattern: strong early grades followed by a sharp slide. Its 3rd grade math proficiency reached 58.9%—10 points above the state average—and its chronic absenteeism rate of 16.0% is well below the state's 23.9%. But by 5th grade, math proficiency drops to 17.4% versus a 49.6% state average, and 6th grade ELA and math both sit at 21.6%. Winona Secondary School has a stronger student-teacher ratio (10.4:1 versus 15.2:1 at the elementary) and made notable 8th grade gains (math up 12.2 points, ELA up 7.2 points), yet still trails state averages in every tested subject and has a chronic absenteeism rate of 25.6%.

The secondary school's 77.6% graduation rate is the district's most urgent issue—about 12 points below the state's 89.2%, meaning roughly one in five students does not graduate on time. Both schools have also lost ground relative to other Mississippi schools, slipping from the 47th to 24th percentile (elementary) and 35th to 22nd percentile (secondary) over three years. For parents, the key insight is that Winona Elementary's early grades are a genuine bright spot, but the district's overall trajectory—particularly upper-elementary academic decline, secondary absenteeism, and low graduation rates—needs attention. The 1-star rating of the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District tells the story of a high-poverty system with isolated improvements that have not yet produced sustained gains.