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Lowndes County School District

At a glance

53^rdof 133 Mississippi districts▼ 10

Better than 60% of Mississippi districts

Elementary 4 Middle 2 High 4 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

1053 Hwy 45 South
Columbus, MS 39701·(662) 244-5000·All Mississippi district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 60.2% of districts

Schools

4,070

Students

5-star school

Top rankedCaledonia Elementary30^th of 377 Mississippi elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Caledonia Elementary up 9 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

West Lowndes High School 7.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

1★

4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Mississippi districts →See the top-ranked Mississippi schools →

Summary:

The Lowndes County School District serves 5,261 students across 8 schools in eastern Mississippi: 3 elementary, 2 middle, and 3 high schools, including the combined grades 7–12 campus at West Lowndes High School. The district ranks 53rd out of 134 Mississippi districts (60th percentile) with a 3-star rating. Families will find a clear two-tier system: Caledonia Elementary consistently leads the district, earning 5 stars with proficiency rates far above state averages, including 89.6% in 5th grade science. Caledonia Middle ranks in the 85th–94th percentile statewide, and Caledonia High holds a 4-star rating. At the other end, West Lowndes Elementary and West Lowndes High School carry 1-star ratings and serve student populations with roughly 98.5% free/reduced lunch eligibility.

New Hope High School sits in the middle with notable strengths, including the district's highest graduation rate at 93.2% and a three-year improvement from the 44th to 66th percentile. New Hope Middle School stands out in math: Algebra I proficiency reached 93.4% in 2025–2026 (and 95.8% the year before), while Caledonia Middle posted 97.2%. By contrast, Algebra I proficiency in the high schools is far lower (64–67%), meaning advanced students are taking the course successfully in 8th grade while later test-takers struggle. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at secondary campuses, ranging from 26.3% at Caledonia High to 39.6% at West Lowndes High, while elementary schools stay healthy at 9.6–14.0%.

Poverty and performance align closely: the highest-poverty schools are the lowest-performing, with a striking 50-point gap in 4th grade ELA between Caledonia Elementary and West Lowndes Elementary. West Lowndes High has the district's smallest class sizes (7.6:1) yet the lowest proficiency, showing that non-classroom factors matter. Upper-grade ELA is a district weakness, with 7th grade proficiency at 30.7% at New Hope Middle and 16.2% at West Lowndes High. U.S. History is also a hidden weak spot, with only Caledonia High above the state average. Still, bright spots exist: West Lowndes Elementary posted 5th grade math at 54.9%, above the state average, and New Hope High leads the district in graduation. Overall, the biggest opportunities are reducing secondary absenteeism, strengthening 7th/8th grade literacy, and closing the economic-based achievement gap.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)						MAAP Mathematics (2026)						MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Science (2026)		MAAP Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Caledonia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9509 Wolfe Rd	Caledonia	39740	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 356-2050	1,070	76	14.0	51.2%	777 (72.6%)	165 (15.4%)	58 (5.4%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (6.2%)	88.5	30^th of 377 public elementary schools	92.0%		86.3	39^th of 380 public elementary schools	89.7%	9	63.7	69.2	73.6				72.6	69.2	70.2						89.6			$9,899
West Lowndes High School	Public	7-12	644 South Frontage Road	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-5070	206	27	7.6	98.5%	6 (2.9%)	196 (95.1%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	16.8	192^nd of 224 public high schools	14.3%		28.8	159^th of 232 public high schools	31.5%	33					16.2	25.8					37.8	38.8	46.5	23.5		25.9	51.8	$20,230
Caledonia High School	Public	9-12	111 Confederate Drive	Caledonia	39740	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 356-2001	640	51	12.6	42.3%	462 (72.2%)	104 (16.3%)	37 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.3%)	77.2	37^th of 224 public high schools	83.5%		90.1	15^th of 232 public high schools	93.5%	22													64.2	69.2			73.9	$13,322
Caledonia Middle School	Public	6-8	105 Confederate Drive	Caledonia	39740	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 356-2042	487	35	13.8	46.4%	365 (74.9%)	84 (17.2%)	21 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.3%)	83.3	37^th of 263 public middle schools	85.9%		81.2	41^st of 265 public middle schools	84.5%	4				60.0	47.1	51.1				63.1	73.2	70.2	97.2			68.5		$10,029
New Hope High School	Public	9-12	2920 New Hope Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-4701	787	61	12.8	61.6%	394 (50.1%)	357 (45.4%)	10 (1.3%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	19 (2.4%)	64.5	77^th of 224 public high schools	65.6%		70.3	73^rd of 232 public high schools	68.5%	4													67.3	50.5			75.4	$12,236
New Hope Middle School	Public	6-8	3419 New Hope Rd	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-4740	604	46	13.1	68.5%	307 (50.8%)	258 (42.7%)	11 (1.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.0%)	54.9	115^th of 263 public middle schools	56.3%		56.6	118^th of 265 public middle schools	55.5%	3				53.4	30.7	35.6				53.5	63.2	46.1	93.4			55.9		$11,280
West Lowndes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 Gilmer Wilburn Road	Columbus	39701	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-5050	276	25	11.1	98.6%	3 (1.1%)	268 (97.1%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	24.5	303^rd of 377 public elementary schools	19.6%		23.1	309^th of 380 public elementary schools	18.7%	6	32.4	18.9	42.0	26.6			29.7	32.4	54.9	33.3					64.5			$15,813
Lowndes County Alternative School	Public, Alternative	1-12	3419 New Hope Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 244-5060	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lowndes County Vocational Complex	Public	8-12	1085 Lehmberg Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 244-5038	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
New Hope Lower Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	199 Enlow Drive	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(662) 244-4760	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
New Hope Upper Elementary	Public	3-5	462 Center Road	Columbus	39702	Lowndes County	Lowndes County School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(662) 244-4780	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Monroe County School District	6.48 mi	5
Columbus Municipal School District	9.89 mi	9	123^rd
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science	13.73 mi	1
Aberdeen School District	16.28 mi	3	98^th
West Point Consolidated School District	18.2 mi	8	73^rd

See the top MS Mississippi districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.