Yazoo County School District

Yazoo County School District serves 1,216 students across four schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—in a mostly rural Mississippi area with very high poverty levels, as nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The district ranks 90th out of 134 Mississippi districts with a 2-star rating, placing it below the middle of the pack. Despite the challenges, there are clear standouts. Linwood School is the most improved, jumping from the 20th to the 39th percentile in a single year, and it leads the district in 5th grade math proficiency. Bentonia Gibbs School is the attendance and science bright spot, with chronic absenteeism of 20.8%—below the state average—and strong 5th grade science scores. Meanwhile, Yazoo County High School maintains a graduation rate of 88.4%, near the state average, and has improved its ranking each year, though its test scores still trail the state.

Compared to each other, the elementary schools are generally outperforming the middle school. Linwood’s average proficiency across its 2025-26 tests is 46.5%, and Bentonia Gibbs sits at 43.6%, while Yazoo County Middle School is the most challenged, with an average proficiency of just 35.3% and a 1-star rating. The middle school’s rank fell from the 32nd to the 20th percentile before recovering slightly to 23rd, and it reported a startling 0% proficiency in Algebra I End-of-Course in 2024-25. That said, 7th grade math improved sharply from 33.8% to 43.1% in one year. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, but it is especially severe at the high school, where 45.8% of students are chronically absent—nearly double the state rate—even though the same school posts a solid graduation rate.

For parents, the big takeaway is that Yazoo County has a few genuine bright spots mixed with real challenges. Linwood is clearly on an upward trajectory, Bentonia Gibbs is a model for attendance, and the high school keeps its graduation rate near state norms despite high absenteeism. On the other hand, the middle school needs attention, and the district’s overall proficiency lags the state by 7 to 14 points on most tests. Notably, all four schools have low student-teacher ratios, from 10.1 at the middle school to 13.3 at Linwood, yet that advantage has not translated into consistently strong results. If the district can tackle high school absenteeism and strengthen middle school academics, it has both the staffing resources and some school-level momentum to build on.