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Laurel High School

Public Grades 9-12

174^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 22% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Laurel High School is a public high school in Laurel, Mississippi, serving 732 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Laurel School District. The school currently ranks in the bottom quarter of Mississippi high schools for the 2025–2026 school year, carrying a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The most striking challenge facing Laurel High School is chronic absenteeism. During the 2023–2024 school year, nearly 60% of students were chronically absent—2.5 times the state average of 23.9% and roughly double the rates at nearby South Jones High School (29.4%) and West Jones High School (26.3%). This attendance crisis likely plays a major role in the school's academic struggles. Test proficiency rates are below state averages in every core subject: Algebra I (38.8% vs. 66.0% statewide), English II (40.5% vs. 49.3%), and Biology (48.6% vs. 63.1%). The graduation rate of 83.2% also trails the state average of 89.2% and is well behind neighboring Jones County schools, which range from 87.5% to 93.2%.

Laurel serves an extremely high-poverty student population—99.86% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025. Its student-teacher ratio of 17.2 is the highest among comparable schools. The comparison to Heidelberg High School is particularly telling: Heidelberg has the same 100% poverty rate but far lower chronic absenteeism (10.0%) and much stronger Algebra I results (78.1% vs. 38.8%). There are some bright spots—English II proficiency has improved from 30.9% to 40.5% over two years, and U.S. History proficiency (58.9%) approaches the state average. However, the school's most urgent priorities are clear: improving attendance and providing additional academic support to help students catch up.

732

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,153

Per pupil spending ?

99.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 W 12th Street
Laurel, MS 39440

(601) 649-4145

District: Laurel School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

78.4%

Hispanic:

15.6%

Two or more races:

4.2%

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Compare Laurel High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2016 → 22nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (42% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg42%

Mississippi avg60%

174^th of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

93^rd of 133Laurel 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	23.1	174 of 224	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.1	152 of 232	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.9	196 of 228	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	176 of 226	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	205 of 228	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	191 of 231	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.3	167 of 233	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	224 of 233	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.1	211 of 237	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.3	229 of 231	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.8	198 of 236	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.9	207 of 238	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.0	194 of 241	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	7.1	238 of 244	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.2	234 of 235	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.2	214 of 235	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	24.3	187 of 235	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.4	163 of 232	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	23.5	204 of 232	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	17.2	216 of 232	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	28.7	190 of 232	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Biology49%-14 vs state

English II40%-9 vs state

Algebra I39%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Laurel 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 English Language Arts (2026)		MAAP Mathematics (2026)		MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP English II (2026)	MAAP Science (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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP English II End of Course	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Laurel High School	Public	9-12	1100 W 12th Street	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 649-4145	732	43	17.2	99.9%	10 (1.4%)	574 (78.4%)	114 (15.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.2%)	23.1	174^th of 224 public high schools	22.3%		34.1	152^nd of 232 public high schools	34.5%	22					38.8	40.5		48.6	$12,153
Laurel High School Vocational Complex	Public	8-12	1100 W 11th Street	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 649-4144	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Jones County Career & Technical Education Center	Public	8-12	2409 Moose Drive	Laurel	39440	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 425-2378	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
West Jones High School	Public	7-12	254 Springhill Road	Laurel	39443	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 729-8144	1,587	112	14.1	66.3%	792 (49.9%)	366 (23.1%)	376 (23.7%)	13 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (2.5%)	42	128^th of 224 public high schools	42.9%		67.2	81^st of 232 public high schools	65.1%	47	45.7	43.8	72.5	61.1	62.8	45.5	59.1	53.9	$9,829
Northeast Jones High School	Public	7-12	68 Northeast Drive	Laurel	39443	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 425-2347	938	90	10.4	66.3%	615 (65.6%)	194 (20.7%)	68 (7.2%)	2 (0.2%)	21 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.1%)	52.5	108^th of 224 public high schools	51.8%		59.2	104^th of 232 public high schools	55.2%	4	37.4	42.3	64.5	65.4	59.0	42.9	60.3	80.6	$12,755
South Jones High School	Public	7-12	313 Anderson Street	Ellisville	39437	Jones County	Jones County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 477-8451	1,300	97	13.4	64.5%	875 (67.3%)	232 (17.8%)	159 (12.2%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (2.1%)	70.2	61^st of 224 public high schools	72.8%		78.7	44^th of 232 public high schools	81.0%	17	40.3	39.8	71.2	58.2	71.1	52.5	42.8	79.8	$9,998
Heidelberg High School	Public	9-12	804 North Pine Ave	Heidelberg	39439	Jasper County	East Jasper School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 787-3414	246	16	15.1	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.7%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	229 (93.1%)	38.6	137^th of 224 public high schools	38.8%		38.1	148^th of 232 public high schools	36.2%	11					78.1	42.8		15.0	$17,474
Taylorsville High School	Public	7-12	324 Hester Street	Taylorsville	39168	Smith County	Smith County School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(601) 785-6942	0																		(n/a)	30.0	18.4	45.0	23.7	35.9	37.5	28.9	28.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurel High School

What is the racial makeup of Laurel High School?

Students at Laurel High School are 78% African American, 16% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% White.

How many students attend Laurel High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 732 students attended Laurel High School.

What schools feed into Laurel High School?

Laurel High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Oak Park Elementary School
Middle : Laurel Middle School
Middle : Laurel Upper Elementary

Is Laurel High School a good school?

Laurel High School ranks in the bottom 22.3% of Mississippi high schools.

What district is Laurel High School in?

Laurel School District

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MSMississippi High School Rankings

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Schools in Laurel, MS

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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.