High Schools in Hattiesburg

There is just one high school in Hattiesburg: Hattiesburg High School, which serves grades 9–12 with about 1,014 students as part of the Hattiesburg School District. The district overall ranks 48th out of 134 districts in Mississippi (3 stars), while the high school itself holds a 2-star rating and ranked 131st out of 224 high schools in the state for the 2025-2026 school year. The school serves an almost entirely economically disadvantaged student body, with 99.9% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet it posts a graduation rate of 94.4%—well above the state average of 89.2%.

Academically, Hattiesburg High School shows a clear strength in Algebra I, where proficiency improved from 60.6% in 2024-2025 to 67.6% in 2025-2026, now slightly ahead of the state average. However, other tested subjects remain concerning: Biology proficiency is 49.5% versus 63.1% statewide, and English II proficiency is 44.1% versus 49.3% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is also a significant issue, with 28.5% of students chronically absent—4.6 points above the state average. The school’s student-teacher ratio is a favorable 12.2 to 1, which could help support improvement efforts.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Hattiesburg High School is a high-poverty school achieving a strong graduation rate and making real progress in Algebra, but it faces persistent challenges with chronic absenteeism and below-average performance in Biology and English II. The school’s state ranking dipped in 2024-2025 then recovered in 2025-2026, but it still trails its district’s overall rating. With the positive momentum in math and a lower student-teacher ratio, there is potential to address the weaker subject areas, but reducing absenteeism will likely be essential to raising overall achievement.