High Schools in Lee County

The Lee County school district in Mississippi includes three public high schools — Saltillo High School, Shannon High School, and Mooreville High School — all serving grades 9 through 12. The district ranks 66th out of 134 districts in Mississippi (3 stars), and the three schools vary widely in size, poverty rates, and academic outcomes. Enrollment ranges from 445 students at Mooreville to 939 at Saltillo, while free/reduced lunch eligibility spans from about 44% at Saltillo and Mooreville to nearly 80% at Shannon.

Mooreville High School is the clear academic leader. It is the only school in the district with a 4-star rating, and its state ranking has climbed from the 57th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 82nd percentile in 2025–2026. Mooreville also has the highest graduation rate (90.4%) and the highest proficiency rates in Algebra I (71.8%), English II (67.3%), and Biology (72.3%), all above state averages. Saltillo High School is the largest school and a steady mid-tier performer with a 3-star rating, but its percentile rank has slipped from the 60th to the 49th percentile. Its standout subject is U.S. History, where 87% of students are proficient, well above the state average of 69.7%. Shannon High School faces the greatest challenges: a 1-star rating, an 11th-percentile rank, a 67.2% graduation rate, and 53.9% chronic absenteeism. Proficiency gaps are severe, especially in Biology (27.5% vs. 63.1% statewide) and Algebra I (33.3% vs. 66.0%).

Poverty appears closely tied to outcomes — Shannon, with the highest free/reduced lunch rate, trails in nearly every metric. Strikingly, Mooreville achieves top results despite a 50.2% chronic absenteeism rate nearly as high as Shannon's, suggesting absenteeism alone does not determine success. Shannon also has the smallest class sizes (10.3 student–teacher ratio) yet the lowest performance. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, with all three schools above the state average. Overall, Mooreville is on a strong upward trajectory, Saltillo remains solid but slightly slipping, and Shannon clearly needs additional support.