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Desoto Central High School

Q: Is Desoto Central High School a good school?

Desoto Central High School ranks 60 th of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

60^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 232 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 74% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Desoto Central High School is a public high school located in Southaven, Mississippi, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,011 students. It is part of the Desoto County School District, which is ranked 34 out of 130 school districts in Mississippi and is rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Desoto Central High School consistently ranks among the top high schools in Mississippi, with a statewide ranking between 2 and 60 over the past 10 years. It has maintained a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating strong academic performance. The school's students consistently outperform the state and district averages in the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) end-of-course exams, with proficiency rates ranging from 60.3% to 84.7% in subjects like Algebra I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History. Additionally, Desoto Central High School has maintained a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 88.9% to 94.6% over the past five years, consistently outperforming the state and district averages.

While Desoto Central High School has a higher chronic absenteeism rate compared to the state and district averages, ranging from 23.9% to 29.4% over the past five years, its academic performance is generally stronger than the nearby high schools within the Desoto County School District, such as Lake Cormorant High, Center Hill High, and Hernando High. However, Lewisburg High and Olive Branch High also demonstrate strong academic performance, with Lewisburg High ranking among the top 10 high schools in the state.

2,004

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,647

Per pupil spending ?

32.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2911 Central Parkway
Southaven, MS 38672

(662) 536-3612

District: Desoto County School District

Feeder schools for Desoto Central High School:

Elementary:	DeSoto Central Elementary
	DeSoto Central Primary School
	Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Middle:	Desoto Central Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

48.6%

White:

34.6%

Hispanic:

7.7%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare Desoto Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 99th percentile in 2015 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Mississippi average (89%)

✓Above the Mississippi median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg72%

Mississippi avg66%

60^th of 232

Mississippi public high schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 25 pts since 2015

From top 1% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

34^th of 130Desoto 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
2025	74.9	60 of 232	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	47 of 228	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.2	53 of 226	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	77.2	41 of 228	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	74.2	50 of 231	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	21 of 233	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	7 of 233	97.0%	★★★★★
2017	89.2	7 of 237	97.0%	★★★★★
2016	92.2	2 of 231	99.1%	★★★★★
2015	94.4	2 of 226	99.1%	★★★★★
2014	84.7	10 of 236	95.8%	★★★★★
2013	82.1	20 of 238	91.6%	★★★★★
2012	85.9	6 of 241	97.5%	★★★★★
2011	84.1	5 of 244	98.0%	★★★★★
2010	82.7	7 of 235	97.0%	★★★★★
2009	80.7	14 of 235	94.0%	★★★★★
2008	79.1	22 of 235	90.6%	★★★★★
2007	77.7	24 of 232	89.7%	★★★★★
2006	76.3	18 of 232	92.2%	★★★★★
2005	81.4	6 of 232	97.4%	★★★★★
2004	83.9	1 of 232	99.6%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I85%+17 vs state

U.S. History177%+7 vs state

Biology66%+4 vs state

English II60%+11 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Monday, January 1, 2024

It’s probably better than Southaven High. Close Quote

Schools Near Desoto Central High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP Algebra I (2025)	MAAP English II (2025)	MAAP Biology (2025)	MAAP U.S. History1 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Biology End of Course	MAAP U.S. History1 End of Course	Total
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%)	74.9	60^th of 232 public high schools	74.1%		76.8	47^th of 228 public high schools	79.4%	13	84.7	60.3	65.9	77.1	$8,647
DeSoto County Career Center West	Public	9-12	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)
Southaven High School	Public	9-12	735 Rasco Road	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%)	30.6	156^th of 232 public high schools	32.8%		41.8	137^th of 228 public high schools	39.9%	19	69.5	32.9	51.5	59.4	$9,681
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%)	90.8	10^th of 232 public high schools	95.7%		90	4^th of 228 public high schools	98.2%	6	94.0	70.2	83.1	86.7	$10,033
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%)	39.3	147^th of 232 public high schools	36.6%		29.4	163^rd of 228 public high schools	28.5%	16	68.3	41.4	54.2	59.8	$10,824
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%)	71	70^th of 232 public high schools	69.8%		70	65^th of 228 public high schools	71.5%	5	85.0	52.5	83.6	76.7	$10,774
Hernando High School	Public	9-12	805 Dilworth Lane	Hernando	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%)	90.6	12^th of 232 public high schools	94.8%		89.4	5^th of 228 public high schools	97.8%	7	89.8	70.1	84.3	88.4	$9,559
Desoto County Career Center East	Public	10-12	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%)	82.1	34^th of 232 public high schools	85.3%		81.5	29^th of 228 public high schools	87.3%	5	85.2	63.6	71.7	81.6	$10,069
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%)	39.8	146^th of 232 public high schools	37.1%		65.9	78^th of 228 public high schools	65.8%	68	58.2	40.2	68.5	65.7	$10,567

Frequently Asked Questions about Desoto Central High School

What schools feed into Desoto Central High School?

Desoto Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : DeSoto Central Elementary
Elementary : DeSoto Central Primary School
Elementary : Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Middle : Desoto Central Middle School

What district is Desoto Central High School in?

Desoto County School District

How many students attend Desoto Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,004 students attended Desoto Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Desoto Central High School?

Students at Desoto Central High School are 49% African American, 35% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

Is Desoto Central High School a good school?

Desoto Central High School ranks 60^th of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Desoto Central High School!

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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.