High Schools in Scott County School District

Scott County School District has two high schools, Morton High School and Lake High School, both serving grades 9–12 in a rural Mississippi area with high poverty levels. Scott County School District is ranked 54th out of 134 districts in the state, but the two schools tell very different stories. Lake High School is the clear standout, having improved from #89 to #54 in state ranking over three years and now sitting in the top quarter of Mississippi high schools. It exceeds state proficiency rates in Algebra I, English II, and Biology despite having 98.7% free/reduced lunch eligibility and a chronic absenteeism rate of 54.8%. Morton High School, with nearly identical poverty levels (99.4% free/reduced lunch), is struggling. Its ranking dropped to #178 (21st percentile) and it posts below-district and below-state scores in every tested subject. Lake outperforms Morton by at least 18.6 percentage points in all 2025–2026 MAAP subjects, with the largest gap in Biology (74.0% vs. 47.0%).

Graduation rates are a concern for both schools. Lake graduates 80.9% of its students, better than Morton's 76.4%, but both trail the district rate of 82.4% and the state rate of 89.2%. In the most recent testing year, Lake's proficiency rates were 71.7% in Algebra I, 56.1% in English II, and 74.0% in Biology—all above state averages. Morton managed just 53.1% in Algebra I, 32.8% in English II, and 47.0% in Biology. The English II gap is particularly striking: Morton dropped from 47.0% to 32.8% in one year, while Lake improved from 48.9% to 56.1%. In 2024–2025, Lake also posted an 83.3% proficiency rate in U.S. History compared to Morton's 53.5%.

The takeaway for parents is that these two schools serve similar student populations but produce dramatically different results. Lake's success despite high poverty and absenteeism suggests that school-level practices and leadership matter enormously. Morton's recent decline is concerning, especially its falling English II scores and below-state graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide crisis, with both schools above 49% compared to the state rate of 23.9%. While Lake's smaller enrollment of 231 students means test scores can fluctuate, its consistent outperformance across multiple subjects and years indicates genuine strength. Parents considering this district should weigh Lake's strong academics against its attendance challenges, and Morton's needs for improvement in nearly every area.