Hazlehurst City School District

The Hazlehurst City School District, located in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, serves approximately 1,320 students across three schools: one elementary school (PK–5), one middle school (6–8), and one high school (9–12). The district is ranked 86th out of 134 Mississippi districts, placing it in the 36th percentile with a 2-star rating. All three schools serve an almost exclusively economically disadvantaged population, with over 99% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and the district overall ranks below the state average in most academic areas.

Hazlehurst High School is the district's most improved school, jumping from a 0-star rating at the 9th percentile to a 2-star rating at the 40th percentile in a single year. Biology proficiency more than doubled to 69.5%, now above the state average of 63.1%, and English II improved by 15.2 points. However, the high school still faces serious challenges, with a 56.9% chronic absenteeism rate — nearly 2.4 times the state rate — and a graduation rate of 77.3% versus the state's 89.2%. Hazlehurst Middle School is the most consistent performer, holding a 2-star rating for three straight years and reaching its best rank yet at the 40th percentile. It is the only school in the district with a tested subject above the state average (6th-grade math at 55.9% vs. 52.7%). Hazlehurst Elementary, the largest school with 643 students, has slipped to the 18th percentile with a 1-star rating, and its math scores collapsed in one year, with 3rd-grade math dropping from 32.7% to 17.0% and 5th-grade math dropping from 46.2% to 20.6%.

Chronic absenteeism is a systemic issue across the district, as every school exceeds the state rate of 23.9%. The high school is the most severe at 56.9%, followed by the elementary school at 33.7% and the middle school at 31.4%. Despite these challenges, there are encouraging signs: the middle school's 8th-grade math improved from 16.5% to 33.3% in one year, and the high school's Biology and English II scores show strong upward momentum. Still, the district as a whole remains below the 50th percentile in state rankings, and with only one school per grade band and no alternative school, there are limited options for students needing additional support. The most urgent priorities should be reducing chronic absenteeism and stabilizing elementary math instruction.