Summary:
The Forrest County School District in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, contains a single high school: North Forrest High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 with an enrollment of 349 students. The district overall is ranked 38th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, earning a 4-star rating and placing in the 72nd percentile. North Forrest is a relatively small school with a low student-teacher ratio of 9.6 and a student body where nearly 90% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch.
As the only high school in the district, North Forrest High School represents the district's entire secondary performance, and its results are impressive. The school jumped from a state rank of 113 out of 232 in 2024-2025 to 49 out of 224 in 2025-2026, moving from the 51st percentile to the 78th percentile and improving its rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. The graduation rate is 95.8%, well above the state average of 89.2%, while chronic absenteeism sits at 18.3%, better than the state's 23.9%. End-of-course exams are a major strength: 80.3% of students scored proficient in Algebra I and 75.6% in Biology, far exceeding state averages of 66.0% and 63.1%, respectively.
The main area of concern is middle-grade mathematics. Only 29.9% of 8th graders were proficient in math compared to 51.4% statewide, and 7th grade math also lags behind district and state averages. However, the overall momentum is positive. ELA 8th grade improved from 36.5% to 50.8%, English II moved above the state average, and Biology jumped sharply from 66.1% to 75.6%. For parents, North Forrest High School demonstrates that a high-poverty school can achieve strong outcomes, particularly in graduation and core end-of-course subjects, though targeted support in middle-grade math appears to be the key opportunity for continued growth.
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