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East Marion High School

Q: Is East Marion High School a good school?

East Marion High School ranks 93 rd of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

93^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 58% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

East Marion High School is a small public high school in Columbia, Mississippi, serving 216 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Marion County School District. The school serves a very high-poverty population (98.6% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch), yet it has just posted its best state ranking in a decade — jumping from 139th to 93rd in Mississippi (58th percentile, 3 stars) in the most recent data.

This upward trend shows up clearly in test scores. East Marion High School has now outperformed the state in Biology end-of-course testing for four consecutive years (66.6% proficient vs. 63.1% statewide in 2025-2026), and English II proficiency has more than doubled in two years — from 21.4% in 2023-2024 to 51.2% in 2025-2026, now above both the district and state averages. The school even edges out its same-district counterpart, West Marion High School, in English II (51.2% vs. 43.7%), though West Marion remains ahead in Algebra I and Biology. With a low student-teacher ratio of 10.4 to 1 — the most favorable among nearby high schools — East Marion offers smaller class sizes that may be helping drive these gains.

There are challenges, however. Chronic absenteeism stands at 31.5%, well above the state average of 23.9%, and it has been trending upward — a concern that could threaten recent progress. The graduation rate of 87.8% is above the Marion County School District average but slightly below the state's 89.2%. Despite these hurdles, East Marion compares favorably to nearby schools in several subject areas, matching Columbia High School in Biology and U.S. History, and dramatically outpacing Jefferson Davis County High School, which serves a similarly high-poverty population (e.g., 66.6% vs. 36.5% in Biology). The overall picture is of a school on the rise, finding real academic success despite significant socioeconomic challenges.

216

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,015

Per pupil spending ?

98.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

527 East Marion School Road
Columbia, MS 39429

(601) 736-3006

District: Marion County School District

Feeder schools for East Marion High School:

Elementary:

East Marion Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

80.1%

White:

17.6%

Two or more races:

1.4%

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Compare East Marion High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Mississippi median (58th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg67%

Mississippi avg60%

93^rd of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Marion County School District

61^st of 133Marion 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2017	44.9	152 of 272	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	42.2	153 of 260	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	45.8	137 of 266	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.0	150 of 264	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	59.2	118 of 269	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.9	128 of 270	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	43.6	169 of 264	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	12.2	224 of 247	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	93 of 224	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.5	139 of 232	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	141 of 228	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.2	156 of 223	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.7	126 of 223	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.9	159 of 224	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	144 of 221	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.7	138 of 214	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.9	102 of 237	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.8	111 of 231	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	38.6	130 of 226	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	63.7	81 of 236	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.9	87 of 238	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	37.5	158 of 241	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.5	168 of 244	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	25.7	190 of 235	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.7	184 of 235	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.5	225 of 235	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	18.2	211 of 232	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	16.3	220 of 232	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	41.3	155 of 232	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.6	147 of 232	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I67%~ state avg

Biology67%+4 vs state

English II51%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near East Marion 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 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
East Marion High School	Public	9-12	527 East Marion School Road	Columbia	39429	Marion County	Marion County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 736-3006	216	21	10.4	98.6%	38 (17.6%)	173 (80.1%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	58.9	93^rd of 224 public high schools	58.5%		41.5	139^th of 232 public high schools	40.1%	46	66.7	51.2	66.6	$20,015
Marion County Vocational Complex	Public	8-12	1140 Highway 13 South	Columbia	39429	Marion County	Marion County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 736-6095	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	1009 Broad Street	Columbia	39429	Marion County	Columbia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 736-5334	484	35	13.7		229 (47.3%)	230 (47.5%)	12 (2.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	71.9	53^rd of 224 public high schools	76.3%		57.8	107^th of 232 public high schools	53.9%	54	77.1	53.2	73.9	$12,971
West Marion High School	Public	9-12	2 West Marion Street	Foxworth	39483	Marion County	Marion County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 736-6381	347	30	11.6	99.1%	220 (63.4%)	110 (31.7%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)	68.9	67^th of 224 public high schools	70.1%		59.9	102^nd of 232 public high schools	56.0%	35	77.9	43.7	84.9	$15,430
Jefferson Davis County High School	Public	9-12	891 Bass Burkett Rd	Bassfield	39421	Jefferson Davis County	Jeff Davis County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 943-5391	368	31	11.8	99.2%	28 (7.6%)	281 (76.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (15.8%)	16.3	195^th of 224 public high schools	12.9%					(n/a)	41.8	39.0	36.5	$15,104
Walthall County Career And Technical Center	Public	8-12	803 Ball Avenue	Tylertown	39667	Walthall County	Walthall County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 222-1500	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about East Marion High School

What is the racial makeup of East Marion High School?

Students at East Marion High School are 80% African American, 18% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend East Marion High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 216 students attended East Marion High School.

What schools feed into East Marion High School?

East Marion High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Marion Elementary School

What district is East Marion High School in?

Marion County School District

Is East Marion High School a good school?

East Marion High School ranks 93^rd of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate East Marion High School!

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MSMississippi High School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Columbia, MS

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2024–25 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

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.