Summary:
Perry County School District contains just one high school, Perry Central High School, a small public school serving grades 9–12 with 262 students and a relatively low 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. The school sits in a high-poverty rural area, where 81.3% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and it faces notable challenges with chronic absenteeism at 27.5%.
Perry Central is showing promising academic momentum. Its state rank improved from 162nd out of 228 schools (29th percentile) in 2023–2024 to 118th out of 224 (47th percentile) in 2025–2026, lifting its star rating from 1 to 2 stars. Test scores tell a similar story: Algebra I proficiency rose to 67.2%, now slightly above the state average of 66.0%, while English II jumped 12 points to 47.5%, nearly matching the state’s 49.3%. However, Biology remains a clear weak spot, holding steady near 47% compared to the state’s 63.1%. The graduation rate is also a serious concern at 78.8%, more than 10 points below Mississippi’s average of 89.2%.
For parents, the picture is mixed but hopeful. Perry Central is improving academically despite high poverty and absenteeism, which suggests effective interventions in math and English. The low student-teacher ratio could be a powerful asset for giving students individual attention, especially in Biology and efforts to boost graduation rates. At the same time, one year of stronger test scores does not erase the structural challenges: chronic absenteeism affects more than one in four students, and the school still has ground to cover to reach state averages in key subjects and on-time graduation. Watching whether the recent improvements hold over the next year will be important, but there are clear signs this school is moving in the right direction.
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