Shannon High School

Shannon High School is a public high school in Shannon, Mississippi, serving 529 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Lee County district. The school ranks 200th out of 224 Mississippi high schools (11th percentile) for the 2025–2026 school year, earning a 1-star rating — a position it has held near the bottom of the state for the past decade. About 79.6% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a significant increase from 64.1% the prior year. The school maintains a favorable student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1, yet outcomes remain well below district and state averages.

The most concerning metric is the graduation rate. Just 67.2% of Shannon students graduated in 2024–2025, down sharply from 80.7% the year before, and roughly 20–25 percentage points below nearby schools like Nettleton High School (92.5%), Amory High School (91.2%), and Mooreville High School (90.4%). Chronic absenteeism affects 53.9% of students, more than double the state rate of 23.9%. Academic proficiency is also very low: only 33.3% of students are proficient in Algebra I, 27.5% in Biology, and 39.8% in English II, compared to state averages of 66.0%, 63.1%, and 49.3%, respectively.

Poverty alone does not explain Shannon's struggles. Okolona High School, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, graduates 89.1% of its students and posts dramatically higher Biology proficiency. Similarly, Nettleton has a comparable poverty rate (80.4%) but graduates 92.5%. The most striking comparison is within Shannon's own district: Mooreville High School, just 12.85 miles away, ranks 41st in the state with 71.8% Algebra I proficiency and a 90.4% graduation rate. With more than half of Shannon students chronically absent for three consecutive years, attendance and school culture appear to be the most critical areas for improvement. For parents, this is a school where outcomes lag sharply behind neighboring communities, despite relatively small class sizes.