Summary:
Covington County School District in Mississippi is served by two public high schools — Seminary High (grades 9-12) and Collins High School (grades 7-12) — together enrolling about 755 students in a rural area where nearly all students face economic disadvantage. The district as a whole ranks 68th out of 134 Mississippi districts, sitting at the 49th percentile with 3 stars. Although the two schools are similar in size and demographics — about 99% of students at each qualify for free or reduced lunch — their academic performance is strikingly different.
Seminary High is the clear standout, earning 3 stars and ranking in the 62nd percentile of Mississippi high schools. It has shown steady improvement over three years, boasts a graduation rate of 85.8%, and exceeds the state average in Algebra I (78% vs. 66%) and Biology (69% vs. 63.1%). Collins High School, in contrast, ranks 207th out of 224 high schools — the 8th percentile — with 0 stars. It falls below state proficiency in every subject, and the gaps with Seminary are striking: 40 points in Algebra I (37.7% vs. 78%) and 27 points in Biology (42.3% vs. 69%). Collins also graduates just 75.4% of students, well below the district's 82.3% and the state's 89.2%.
Perhaps the most pressing district-wide issue is chronic absenteeism. Both schools sit near 47% — nearly double the state average of 23.9% — and even the higher-performing school is impacted. Notably, Collins actually has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio (11.9) than Seminary (12.6), yet its outcomes are much weaker, suggesting that factors beyond poverty or class size are at play. For parents, Seminary High is a school on the rise with solid math and science results, while Collins High School is a high-priority school with volatile test scores that needs urgent support. Reducing chronic absenteeism is likely the highest-impact strategy for improving outcomes across the Covington County School District.
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