Summary:
Simpson County School District, ranked 110 out of 134 districts in Mississippi, operates two high schools: Mendenhall High School, serving grades 7–12 with 646 students, and Magee High School, serving grades 9–12 with 380 students. Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with roughly 86% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and both carry 1-star or 0-star ratings from the state.
Mendenhall High School is the stronger of the two schools overall. It posts a higher state rank (193rd vs. 199th in 2025–2026), a substantially higher graduation rate (88.1% vs. 78.3%), and outperforms Magee on Algebra I (37.2% vs. 34.8%) and English II (40.0% vs. 34.6%) End-of-Course exams. Mendenhall also beats the district average on several subjects, including English II and 8th-grade ELA. However, Mendenhall's state rank has declined for three straight years, and it saw major drops in Algebra I (54.0% to 37.2%) and Biology (50.0% to 37.0%). Magee, meanwhile, improved its rank from 207th to 199th and made a dramatic 23-point jump in Biology proficiency from 21.7% to 44.6%.
For parents, the biggest concern is academic proficiency. Neither school reaches the state average in any tested subject. Math gaps are especially stark — Mendenhall's 7th-grade math proficiency is just 19.7% versus the state's 57.7%. Chronic absenteeism is also a critical problem: 53.0% at Mendenhall and 56.8% at Magee, compared to 23.9% statewide. Notably, Mendenhall's graduation rate nearly matches the state average (88.1% vs. 89.2%), suggesting many students graduate without reaching grade-level proficiency. With similar student–teacher ratios (about 15:1) and comparable poverty levels, the main differences between the two schools come down to Mendenhall's stronger graduation outcomes and Magee's recent improvements in Biology and overall ranking.
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