Summary:
Newton County School District is served by a single high school, Newton County High School in Decatur, Mississippi, which enrolls 768 students in grades 7 through 12. The district is rated among the top 10% of all Mississippi districts, ranking 12th out of 134 with a 5-star rating. The school itself has climbed into the top quarter of high schools statewide, moving from a 3-star to a 4-star rating and improving its rank to 59th out of 224 schools for the 2025–2026 school year.
Newton County High School shows clear strengths in mathematics and science. In 2025–2026, 8th-grade math proficiency reached 84.9%, roughly 33 points above the state average, while Algebra I proficiency hit 85.4% compared with 66.0% statewide. Science performance is similarly impressive: 8th-grade science proficiency was 85.8%, a 28-point advantage over the state, and Biology also exceeded the state average. The school’s graduation rate of 93.8% outpaces the state’s 89.2%, and its student-to-teacher ratio of 11.7-to-1 is favorable. About 48% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school still posts strong results in math and science, indicating effective instruction in those subjects.
Areas for improvement include 7th-grade English language arts, which dipped to 32.3% proficiency in 2025–2026, below the state’s 36.7%, while English II (EOC) scores hover near the state average. Chronic absenteeism stands at 21.9%, better than the state’s 23.9% but still meaning roughly one in five students misses significant school time. Overall, Newton County High School is a strong and improving school, with standout math and science achievement, a high graduation rate, and a recent jump in statewide ranking that makes it an appealing option for families in the Newton County area.
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