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Harrison Central High

Public Grades 9-12

18^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 92% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Harrison Central High is a large public high school in Gulfport, MS, serving 1,483 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Harrison County School District, which ranks 15th of 134 districts in Mississippi. The school has made dramatic recent progress, jumping from 90th place in the state (3 stars) in 2024–2025 to 18th place (5 stars, 92nd percentile) in 2025–2026 — its best ranking in recent history.

Nearly 99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, far above the rates at nearby D'Iberville High (58%) and West Harrison High (65%). Even so, proficiency rates beat state averages in every core subject: Algebra I at 82.1% (state: 66.0%), English II at 63.4% (state: 49.3%), and Biology at 83.4% (state: 63.1%). English II and Biology each jumped more than 13 points in a single year. Harrison Central now ranks 18th in Mississippi, behind only its same-district rivals West Harrison High (#1) and D'Iberville High (#10).

The main concerns are graduation rate and absenteeism. At 83.2%, the graduation rate is the lowest of nearby high schools, below the state's 89.2% and well behind Long Beach High School (95.7%), Pass Christian High School (93.9%), and Biloxi High School (91.4%). Chronic absenteeism has improved from roughly 33% in 2021–2023 to 24.8%, but remains above the district rate of 21.1%. U.S. History proficiency, at 79.3%, is another area to watch — above the state (69.7%) but below the district (84.1%). Still, the school is clearly trending upward, and closing the graduation gap while sustaining recent test gains would put Harrison Central on par with its highly ranked district neighbors.

1,483

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,720

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

15600 School Road
Gulfport, MS 39503

(228) 832-2610

District: Harrison County School District

Feeder schools for Harrison Central High:

Elementary:	Bel-Aire Elementary
	Crossroads Elementary
	River Oaks Elementary
	Saucier Elementary
	More...
	Three Rivers Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.9%

White:

36.3%

Hispanic:

8.6%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2016 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (76% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Mississippi high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the Mississippi average (83% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg80%

Mississippi avg60%

18^th of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 34 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Harrison County School District

15^th of 133Harrison 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	85.4	18 of 224	92.0%	★★★★★
2025	64.7	90 of 232	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.4	67 of 228	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.9	62 of 226	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	68.1	65 of 228	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	60.9	86 of 231	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.4	88 of 233	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	93 of 233	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.0	114 of 237	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.8	98 of 231	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.1	73 of 226	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	56.5	97 of 236	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.8	115 of 238	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.8	72 of 241	70.1%	★★★★☆
2011	52.6	123 of 244	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.6	100 of 235	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	41.3	157 of 235	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.1	119 of 235	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	39.2	164 of 232	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	51.0	128 of 232	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	63.1	91 of 232	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	65.9	75 of 232	67.7%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Biology83%+20 vs state

Algebra I82%+16 vs state

English II63%+14 vs state

5.0

2 ratings

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3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Harrison Central High

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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
Harrison Central High	Public	9-12	15600 School Road	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 832-2610	1,483	94	15.8	99.0%	538 (36.3%)	755 (50.9%)	127 (8.6%)	21 (1.4%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	35 (2.4%)	85.4	18^th of 224 public high schools	92.0%		64.7	90^th of 232 public high schools	61.2%	72	82.1	63.4	83.4	$10,720
Harrison County Career and Technical Center	Public	8-12	15600 School Road	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 832-6652	0	5	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West Harrison High	Public	9-12	10399 County Farm Road	Gulfport	39503	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 539-8900	1,216	69	17.5	64.7%	661 (54.4%)	435 (35.8%)	78 (6.4%)	19 (1.6%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.2%)	13 (1.1%)	93.5	1^st of 224 public high schools	99.6%		90.6	11^th of 232 public high schools	95.3%	10	94.5	76.2	86.7	$10,723
Gulfport High School	Public	9-12	100 Perry Street	Gulfport	39507	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 896-7525	1,702	135	12.5	55.7%	596 (35.0%)	857 (50.4%)	163 (9.6%)	24 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	58 (3.4%)	73.2	46^th of 224 public high schools	79.5%		77.2	50^th of 232 public high schools	78.4%	4	85.5	60.8	63.9	$12,908
Gulfport Vocational Annex	Public	8-12	100 Perry Street	Gulfport	39507	Harrison County	Gulfport School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 896-6011	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
D'Iberville High	Public	9-12	15625 Lamey Bridge Road	Biloxi	39532	Harrison County	Harrison County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 392-2678	1,478	81	18.1	58.5%	799 (54.1%)	344 (23.3%)	189 (12.8%)	94 (6.4%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.5%)	42 (2.8%)	87.8	10^th of 224 public high schools	95.5%		83.3	30^th of 232 public high schools	87.1%	20	92.3	62.6	80.6	$10,193
Biloxi High School	Public	9-12	1845 Tribe Drive	Biloxi	39532	Harrison County	Biloxi Public School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 435-6105	1,669	107	15.5	53.9%	695 (41.6%)	545 (32.7%)	308 (18.5%)	58 (3.5%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	57 (3.4%)	85.6	17^th of 224 public high schools	92.4%		77.9	47^th of 232 public high schools	79.7%	30	88.9	60.4	80.9	$13,710
R D Brown Vocational Center	Public	8-12	1845 Tribe Drive	Biloxi	39533	Harrison County	Biloxi Public School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 435-6318	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Long Beach High School	Public	9-12	300 E Old Pass Road	Long Beach	39560	Harrison County	Long Beach School District	No	No	No	No	(228) 863-6945	895	67	13.4	51.1%	630 (70.4%)	119 (13.3%)	29 (3.2%)	19 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (10.9%)	90.1	7^th of 224 public high schools	96.9%		91.1	8^th of 232 public high schools	96.6%	1	90.0	69.7	82.6	$10,965
Pass Christian High School	Public	9-12	720 W. North Street	Pass Christian	39571	Harrison County	Pass Christian School District	No	No	No	Yes	(228) 452-2008	604	47	12.8	55.1%	357 (59.1%)	145 (24.0%)	45 (7.5%)	12 (2.0%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.8%)	80.7	28^th of 224 public high schools	87.5%		92.6	5^th of 232 public high schools	97.8%	23	74.6	60.0	86.9	$14,823

Frequently Asked Questions about Harrison Central High

What is the racial makeup of Harrison Central High?

Students at Harrison Central High are 51% African American, 36% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Harrison Central High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,483 students attended Harrison Central High.

Is Harrison Central High a good school?

Yes. Harrison Central High ranks in the top 8.0% of Mississippi high schools.

What district is Harrison Central High in?

Harrison County School District

What schools feed into Harrison Central High?

Harrison Central High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bel-Aire Elementary
Elementary : Crossroads Elementary
Elementary : River Oaks Elementary
Elementary : Saucier Elementary
Elementary : Three Rivers Elementary

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

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

2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 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.