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Southaven High School

Q: Is Southaven High School a good school?

Southaven High School ranks 138 th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

138^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 38% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Southaven High School is a large public high school in Southaven, MS, serving 1,876 students in grades 9–12 and currently rated as a 2-star school. It is part of the DeSoto County School District, a 3-star district ranked 45th out of 134 in Mississippi, but the school itself ranked 138th out of 224 Mississippi high schools in 2025–2026 — a decline from the 62nd percentile a decade ago to the 38th percentile today. About 55.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a moderate-to-high poverty level compared with Hernando High School (23.0%) and Lewisburg High School (18.3%), but similar to Olive Branch High School (51.6%).

Academically, Southaven trails the district average in every subject on MAAP exams. In Algebra I, 60.5% of students are proficient versus the district's 75.7% — the lowest among nearby schools, including Byhalia High School (63.3%), despite Byhalia having far higher poverty. English II is a persistent weakness, with just 41.2% proficient compared with roughly 70% at both Lewisburg High School and Hernando High School. Interestingly, chronic absenteeism at Lewisburg High School (46.9%) is higher than Southaven's 37.2%, yet it scores far stronger on every subject — suggesting attendance alone doesn't explain the gap.

The clearest bright spot is graduation: Southaven's rate climbed from 87.0% in 2022–2023 to 95.3% in 2024–2025, above the state average of 89.2%, though still the lowest among DeSoto County high schools in this comparison. Chronic absenteeism, however, remains elevated at 37.2% versus the district's 26.4%. The school underperforms even relative to similar peers: Olive Branch High School has nearly the same poverty rate but scored 23 points higher in Algebra I. For parents, the key areas to watch are literacy support and attendance — both likely drivers of the school's decade-long slide in state rankings.

1,876

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,681

Per pupil spending ?

55.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

735 Rasco Road W
Southaven, MS 38671

(662) 393-9300

District: Desoto County School District

Feeder schools for Southaven High School:

Elementary:	Greenbrook Elementary School
	Hope Sullivan Elementary School
	Southaven Elementary School
	Southaven Intermediate School
Middle:	Southaven Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.1%

White:

17.5%

Hispanic:

15.4%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare Southaven High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the Mississippi average (89%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (53% vs 60% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 28% Mississippi)

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg66%

Mississippi avg60%

138^th of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8High Schools in the Desoto County School District

45^th of 133Desoto County School District among Mississippi districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	138 of 224	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.6	156 of 232	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	137 of 228	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	132 of 223	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.1	121 of 223	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.7	107 of 224	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	106 of 221	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.7	95 of 214	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.4	88 of 237	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.9	88 of 231	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.4	64 of 226	71.7%	★★★★☆
2014	52.7	111 of 236	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.6	76 of 238	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.9	80 of 241	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.3	87 of 244	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	63.3	88 of 235	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.1	56 of 235	76.2%	★★★★☆
2008	78.6	24 of 235	89.8%	★★★★★
2007	66.5	75 of 232	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.7	90 of 232	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.1	77 of 232	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	65.4	78 of 232	66.4%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I60%-6 vs state

Biology56%-7 vs state

English II41%-8 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Great students. Excellent administration that has a balance between discipline and fun for students. Good parent connections. Traffic bad. Very engaged teachers that care about their students. I am proud to have a son that attends and enjoys the challenges put before him each day. The administration puts a lot of time in to awarding good achievements and behaviors for the students.

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Schools Near Southaven High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Southaven High School	Public	9-12	735 Rasco Road W	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-9300	1,876	114	16.5	55.5%	329 (17.5%)	1,146 (61.1%)	289 (15.4%)	23 (1.2%)	5 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	80 (4.3%)	38.6	138^th of 224 public high schools	38.4%		30.6	156^th of 232 public high schools	32.8%	18	60.5	41.2	56.1	$9,681
DeSoto County Career Center West	Public	8-12	1005 Kuykendall Lane	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 393-6211	0	13	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Horn Lake High School	Public	9-12	3360 Church Road	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-5273	1,271	90	14.1	66.6%	130 (10.2%)	945 (74.4%)	148 (11.6%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.1%)	32.2	152^nd of 224 public high schools	32.1%		39.3	147^th of 232 public high schools	36.6%	5	67.2	35.3	46.8	$10,824
Desoto Central High School	Public	9-12	2911 Central Parkway	Southaven	38672	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 536-3612	2,004	112	17.8	32.6%	693 (34.6%)	974 (48.6%)	155 (7.7%)	79 (3.9%)	3 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (5.0%)	74	44^th of 224 public high schools	80.4%		74.9	60^th of 232 public high schools	74.1%	16	74.2	63.1	68.8	$8,647
Hernando High School	Public	9-12	1200 McIngvale Road	Nesbit	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 429-4170	1,529	89	17.1	23.0%	1,127 (73.7%)	173 (11.3%)	149 (9.7%)	17 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	60 (3.9%)	87.5	12^th of 224 public high schools	94.6%		90.6	12^th of 232 public high schools	94.8%		88.5	69.9	78.1	$9,559
Lewisburg High School	Public	9-12	1755 Craft Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 890-6708	1,330	82	16.2	18.3%	1,006 (75.6%)	155 (11.7%)	84 (6.3%)	36 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.5%)	90.4	5^th of 224 public high schools	97.8%		90.8	10^th of 232 public high schools	95.7%	5	90.7	70.6	82.1	$10,033
Olive Branch High School	Public	9-12	9366 Sandidge Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 893-3344	1,058	76	13.8	51.6%	300 (28.4%)	559 (52.8%)	127 (12.0%)	13 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (5.5%)	72.9	47^th of 224 public high schools	79.0%		71	70^th of 232 public high schools	69.8%	23	83.6	47.0	81.9	$10,774
Lake Cormorant High School	Public	9-12	10201 Starlanding Rd	Lake Cormorant	38641	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 996-3060	991	64	15.3	61.0%	319 (32.2%)	481 (48.5%)	147 (14.8%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	37 (3.7%)	51.5	111^th of 224 public high schools	50.4%		39.8	146^th of 232 public high schools	37.1%	35	64.3	43.3	69.8	$10,567
Desoto County Career Center East	Public	8-12	8890 Deerfield Dr.	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 893-0855	0	8	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Center Hill High School	Public	9-12	13250 Kirk Road	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 890-2490	1,059	70	15.2	39.3%	335 (31.6%)	571 (53.9%)	105 (9.9%)	13 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (3.3%)	76.6	39^th of 224 public high schools	82.6%		82.1	34^th of 232 public high schools	85.3%	5	83.8	62.2	67.6	$10,069

Frequently Asked Questions about Southaven High School

How many students attend Southaven High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,876 students attended Southaven High School.

What schools feed into Southaven High School?

Southaven High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Greenbrook Elementary School
Elementary : Hope Sullivan Elementary School
Elementary : Southaven Elementary School
Elementary : Southaven Intermediate School
Middle : Southaven Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Southaven High School?

Students at Southaven High School are 61% African American, 18% White, 15% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Southaven High School in?

Desoto County School District

Is Southaven High School a good school?

Southaven High School ranks 138^th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Southaven High School!

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.