Oak Grove High School

Oak Grove High School is a large public high school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, serving 1,750 students in grades 9–12 and operating as part of the well-regarded Lamar County School District. For the 2025–2026 school year, Oak Grove ranks 27th out of 224 Mississippi high schools, placing it in the 88th percentile with a 4-star rating. That makes it the highest-ranked high school among nearby comparison schools, edging out Petal High School (#45), North Forrest High School (#49), and Sumrall High School (#50). The school also posts a graduation rate of 92.7%, above both the district (91.2%) and state (89.2%) averages.

Academically, Oak Grove's clearest strength is Algebra I, with a proficiency rate of 82.1% that has remained remarkably stable for four consecutive years. This is far above the state average of 66% and nearly identical to Petal's 83.4%. In English II, Oak Grove posts a 61.4% proficiency rate, 12 points above the state average and second only to Petal among area schools. Biology proficiency sits at 75.7%, trailing Sumrall High School's 80% but still well above state norms. The school's graduation rate trails Petal (95.8%) and North Forrest (95.8%) but exceeds Sumrall's 91.8%.

The school does face some challenges worth knowing. Chronic absenteeism has more than doubled since before the pandemic, rising from 9.2% in 2018–2019 to 21.1% in 2023–2024, which is above the district average of 18.6%. Oak Grove also has the highest student–teacher ratio in the area at 14.3, meaning larger class sizes than Petal (12.8) or Sumrall (13.0). With 52.1% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Oak Grove serves a moderate-income, economically diverse population. Despite this, the school outperforms Hattiesburg High School, located just 5.8 miles away, across every academic metric. While Oak Grove has not returned to the 5-star, top-10 status it earned in 2016–2018, its consistent performance makes it a strong and reliable choice for families.