Summary:
The Jefferson County School District in Mississippi contains exactly one high school, Jefferson County High, located in Fayette, MS, serving grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 331 students and a favorable 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. The district overall ranks 100th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, placing it in the bottom quarter, and the school carries a 1-star rating.
Academic proficiency on the state's MAAP assessments lags well behind Mississippi averages in every tested subject. In 2025–2026, Algebra I proficiency was 48.4% compared to 66.0% statewide, English II was 26.0% versus 49.3%, and Biology was 50.0% versus 63.1%. The largest gap came in 2024–2025 U.S. History, where only 25.6% of students were proficient versus 69.7% statewide. Despite these academic struggles, the school posts a graduation rate of 89.7%, slightly above the state average of 89.2%, and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 13.7% — far better than the state's 23.9%. Every student at Jefferson County High qualifies for free or reduced lunch, reflecting an extremely high-poverty population that makes these attendance and graduation outcomes especially notable.
Year-over-year results are mixed but show some encouraging momentum. Algebra I proficiency improved from 40.8% to 48.4% and Biology rose from 40.8% to 50.0%, while English II dropped from 32.4% to 26.0%. The school's state ranking has also improved, moving from 205th out of 228 schools (10th percentile) in 2023–2024 to 189th out of 224 (16th percentile) in 2025–2026. For parents, this school offers a small, closely knit environment with strong attendance, a low student-teacher ratio, and graduation outcomes on par with the rest of the state. The central challenge remains translating those positive engagement indicators into higher academic proficiency, particularly in English and U.S. History.
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