Summary:
The Jeff Davis County School District, located in rural Bassfield, Mississippi, is served by a single high school, Jefferson Davis County High School, which enrolls 368 students in grades 9-12. Because the district operates only one high school, all district-level high school metrics are identical to the school's own numbers, making the school's performance the sole driver of the district's high school accountability ratings.
Jefferson Davis County High School serves an almost entirely economically disadvantaged student body, with 99.18% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite this, the school's graduation rate stands at 90.2%, slightly above the state average of 89.2%. Academic proficiency, however, trails the state significantly: only 41.8% of students are proficient in Algebra I compared to 66.0% statewide, English II proficiency is 39.0% versus 49.3%, and Biology proficiency is 36.5% versus 63.1%. The largest gaps are in STEM subjects. Chronic absenteeism affects 32.5% of students, considerably higher than the 23.9% statewide rate. The school does maintain a relatively favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.8, which could serve as an asset for improvement.
The school's state ranking has trended downward, falling from the 30th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 13th percentile in 2025-2026, with its star rating dropping from 2 to 1 stars. For parents, the key takeaway is that Jefferson Davis County High School offers a supportive staffing ratio and a graduation rate that exceeds the state average, but academic proficiency and chronic absenteeism remain urgent concerns. The extreme poverty rate provides important context for interpreting these outcomes, and the positive staffing metric offers a potential lever for improvement.
Thank you for your feedback!