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Newton County High School

Q: Is Newton County High School a good school?

Newton County High School ranks 95 th of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-12

95^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 232 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 59% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Newton County High School is a public high school in Decatur, Mississippi, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 792 students. The school is part of the Newton County School District, which is ranked 16 out of 130 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Newton County High School has consistently performed above the state average, particularly in mathematics and science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 73.7% in 7th grade math, 85.4% in 8th grade math, and 76.1% in Biology, all significantly higher than the state averages. However, the school's performance on the English II end-of-course exam has been more mixed, with proficiency rates ranging from 44.6% to 52.1% in recent years, closer to the state average. The school's four-year graduation rate has also been strong, ranging from 88.9% to 94.1% in recent years, above the state average.

Compared to nearby high schools, Newton County High School generally outperforms Newton High School but lags behind the higher-performing West Lauderdale High School and Union High School. The school also faces challenges related to a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 18.0% to 23.9% in recent years, and a student population with a high percentage of economic disadvantage, with 56.69% to 99.63% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

768

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,761

Per pupil spending ?

48%

Free/discounted lunch ?

16255 Hwy 503
Decatur, MS 39327

(601) 635-4261

District: Newton County School District

Feeder schools for Newton County High School:

Elementary:

Newton County Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.8%

African American:

21.0%

American Indian:

7.0%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare Newton County High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 66th percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (60% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Mississippi average (89%)

✓Above the Mississippi median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

Mississippi avg54%

Middle school

20^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

95^th of 232

Mississippi public high schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 130Newton 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
2025	86.9	20 of 266	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	81.8	39 of 264	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	69 of 243	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	66.1	93 of 257	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.5	102 of 257	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.2	64 of 264	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	80.3	45 of 252	82.1%	★★★★☆
2017	79.9	46 of 272	83.1%	★★★★☆
2016	71.1	70 of 260	73.1%	★★★★☆
2015	64.7	77 of 266	71.1%	★★★★☆
2014	60.7	100 of 264	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	76.7	58 of 269	78.4%	★★★★☆
2012	76.3	51 of 270	81.1%	★★★★☆
2011	75.9	51 of 264	80.7%	★★★★☆
2010	67.1	79 of 255	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.2	82 of 247	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	73.5	55 of 244	77.5%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	95 of 232	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	86 of 228	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.2	60 of 226	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.9	79 of 228	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.3	52 of 231	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.8	68 of 233	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	62.4	85 of 233	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.8	93 of 237	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.2	74 of 231	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.2	77 of 226	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	44.4	132 of 236	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	70.2	62 of 238	73.9%	★★★★☆
2012	70.0	58 of 241	75.9%	★★★★☆
2011	58.2	106 of 244	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.8	126 of 235	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	65.7	82 of 235	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.7	60 of 235	74.5%	★★★★☆
2007	69.2	67 of 232	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	67.1	75 of 232	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	73.5	39 of 232	83.2%	★★★★☆
2004	70.1	51 of 232	78.0%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

U.S. History185%+16 vs state

Mathematics80%+28 vs state

Algebra I76%+9 vs state

Biology76%+14 vs state

Science70%+15 vs state

English Language Arts51%+12 vs state

English II49%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Newton County High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)		MAAP Mathematics (2025)		MAAP Algebra I (2025)	MAAP English II (2025)	MAAP Science (2025)	MAAP Biology (2025)	MAAP U.S. History1 (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	MAAP U.S. History1 End of Course	Total
Newton County High School	Public	7-12	16255 Hwy 503	Decatur	39327	Newton County	Newton County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 635-4261	768	65	11.7	48.0%	521 (67.8%)	161 (21.0%)	18 (2.3%)	6 (0.8%)	54 (7.0%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.9%)	61.9	95^th of 232 public high schools	59.1%		63.1	86^th of 228 public high schools	62.3%	9	46.4	55.6	73.7	85.4	76.4	48.9	70.1	76.1	85.4	$11,761
Newton High School	Public	9-12	201 W. First Street	Newton	39345	Newton County	Newton Municipal School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 683-2232	237	24	9.8	79.3%	4 (1.7%)	219 (92.4%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.8%)	21.2	179^th of 232 public high schools	22.8%		35.7	151^st of 228 public high schools	33.8%	28					63.8	29.5		64.3	73.7	$14,802
Newton Municipal Career Center	Public	9-12	203 W. First Street	Newton	39345	Newton County	Newton Municipal School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 683-6338	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Union High School	Public	9-12	101 Forest Street	Union	39365	Newton County	Union Public School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 774-8257	280	30	9.2	98.9%	205 (73.2%)	65 (23.2%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	84.2	24^th of 232 public high schools	89.7%		88.9	6^th of 228 public high schools	97.4%	18					85.4	62.7		82.1	91.7	$14,479
Lake High School	Public	9-12	24442 Hwy 80	Lake	39092	Scott County	Scott County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 775-3248	231	11	20.8	98.7%	107 (46.3%)	101 (43.7%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.5%)	58.8	106^th of 232 public high schools	54.3%		62	89^th of 228 public high schools	61.0%	17					72.1	48.9		81.6	83.3	$13,946
West Lauderdale High School	Public	9-12	9916 West Lauderdale Road	Collinsville	39325	Lauderdale County	Lauderdale County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 737-2277	535	40	13.3	36.8%	387 (72.3%)	101 (18.9%)	17 (3.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.9%)	80.3	40^th of 232 public high schools	82.8%		77.5	44^th of 228 public high schools	80.7%	4					81.2	60.8		84.9	76.9	$10,519

Frequently Asked Questions about Newton County High School

What is the racial makeup of Newton County High School?

Students at Newton County High School are 68% White, 21% African American, 7% American Indian, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Newton County High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 768 students attended Newton County High School.

Is Newton County High School a good school?

Newton County High School ranks 95^th of 232 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Newton County High School?

Newton County High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Newton County Elementary School

What district is Newton County High School in?

Newton County School District

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MSMississippi High School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Decatur, MS

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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.