Summary:
The South Tippah School District contains just one high school, Ripley High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 in Ripley, MS, with 465 students enrolled. Because there is only one high school in this district, the analysis focuses on how Ripley High School compares to district and state benchmarks rather than to other local schools.
Ripley High School posts a strong on-time graduation rate of 95.7%, well above the state average of 89.2%, even though 77.2% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school excels in math and science, with 75.5% proficiency in Algebra I and 85.4% in Biology, both above state averages. However, English II proficiency is a significant weak point at just 39.1%, falling 10.2 points below the state average and 6.2 points below the district average. Chronic absenteeism is another red flag: 27.3% of students are chronically absent, which is higher than both the district (18.7%) and state (23.9%) averages. In a school of 465 students, this represents roughly 127 students missing substantial amounts of school.
The school's state ranking has slipped from the 83rd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 59th percentile in 2025–2026, despite continued strength in math and science. With a favorable 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio, Ripley High School has the resources to support targeted interventions. The district itself ranks 33rd out of 134 Mississippi districts with a 4-star rating, but the high school currently holds only 3 stars. For parents, the key takeaways are that Ripley High School graduates students at a high rate and excels in STEM subjects, but families should be aware of the literacy gap in English II and the high chronic absenteeism rate, both of which are likely contributing to the school's declining ranking.
Thank you for your feedback!