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Perry Central High School

Q: Is Perry Central High School a good school?

Perry Central High School ranks 118 th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

118^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 47% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

Perry Central High School is a small rural high school in New Augusta, Mississippi, serving 262 students in grades 9–12 and operating as the sole high school in the Perry County School District. The school has shown meaningful recent improvement, jumping from the 30th percentile of Mississippi high schools in 2024–2025 to the 47th percentile in 2025–2026, though it still trails nearby schools like Petal High School (80th percentile) and Forrest County Agricultural High School (71st percentile), while sitting just behind Richton High School (57th percentile).

Academically, the school presents a mixed profile. Algebra I is a relative bright spot, with 67.2% of students proficient in 2025–2026, slightly above the state average of 66.0%. English II proficiency has also climbed from 34.4% two years ago to 47.5%, nearly matching the state average of 49.3%. Biology, however, remains a persistent weakness: only 47.2% of students are proficient, well below the state average of 63.1% and behind every nearby school. This science gap has remained essentially unchanged for three years, suggesting it is a key area needing attention.

The most urgent concern at Perry Central is its graduation rate. At 78.8%, it is well below the state average of 89.2% and the lowest among neighboring schools—95.8% at Petal High School, 94.1% at Richton High School, and 89.9% at Forrest County Agricultural High School. Chronic absenteeism (27.5%) is also above the state average, though better than both Forrest County Agricultural (42.2%) and Richton (32.7%). With 81.3% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, making its recent gains in Algebra and English all the more notable. However, the low graduation rate and persistent Biology gap show that significant work remains.

262

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,721

Per pupil spending ?

81.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

9899 Hwy 98 East
New Augusta, MS 39462

(601) 964-3235

District: Perry County School District

Feeder schools for Perry Central High School:

Elementary:	Runnelstown School
	South Perry Elementary School
Middle:	Perry Central Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.2%

African American:

22.5%

Two or more races:

21.4%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare Perry Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 23 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 26% Mississippi)

!Biology scores 16 pts below the Mississippi average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school55%

District avg55%

Mississippi avg60%

118^th of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

77^th of 133Perry 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	118 of 224	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.5	163 of 232	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	162 of 228	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	168 of 223	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	169 of 223	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	142 of 224	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.1	177 of 221	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	62.1	85 of 214	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	32.5	154 of 237	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.3	176 of 231	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.1	144 of 226	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	38.4	153 of 236	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.4	138 of 238	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.5	182 of 241	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.4	161 of 244	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	27.8	183 of 235	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	42.4	152 of 235	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	61.8	99 of 235	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	42.8	154 of 232	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	70.9	48 of 232	79.3%	★★★★☆
2005	62.7	92 of 232	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.8	129 of 232	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I67%~ state avg

English II48%~ state avg

Biology47%-16 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, August 25, 2016

This school will never prepare your children for their higher education!! If you want them to be educated and have a decent future... do not send them to this school!! Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, August 2, 2013

Although this schools test scores are low it is because the teachers teach to ensure the students learn and understand the material taught. Other local schools test to ensure the test scores are high and care less about if the student retains any of the information. The classes are small and the teachers truly care about the students. I am SO glad I enrolled my children in this school rather than the local 5 star school that is so politically ran it is sickening. If you are moving to the area please do not let the test scores scare you away. This is a GREAT school with staff that care about the students. The others care about what church, subdivision you are from and how much money you have. They could care less about the student UNLESS they are rich or attend certain church or live in a few select subdivisions. Close Quote

Schools Near Perry Central 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Perry Central High School	Public	9-12	9899 Hwy 98 East	New Augusta	39462	Perry County	Perry County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 964-3235	262	20	12.8	81.3%	142 (54.2%)	59 (22.5%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (21.4%)	46.4	118^th of 224 public high schools	47.3%		27.5	163^rd of 232 public high schools	29.7%	45					67.2	47.5		47.2	$18,721
Perry County Vocational Complex	Public	8-12	9899 A Hwy 98 East	New Augusta	39462	Perry County	Perry County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 964-8282	0	0	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Richton High School	Public	7-12	701 Elm Avenue	Richton	39476	Perry County	Richton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 788-9608	281	22	12.6	61.6%	184 (65.5%)	69 (24.6%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.2%)	58	97^th of 224 public high schools	56.7%		47.9	123^rd of 232 public high schools	47.0%	26	26.1	27.3	69.6	40.9	78.5	48.0	36.3	58.3	$11,593
Forrest County Agricultural High School	Public	9-12	215 Old Hwy 49 East	Brooklyn	39425	Forrest County	Forrest County Agricultural High School	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 582-4741	562	52	10.8	77.2%	310 (55.2%)	156 (27.8%)	34 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (11.0%)	69	65^th of 224 public high schools	71.0%		84.5	21^st of 232 public high schools	90.9%	44					73.5	54.3		71.1	$12,606
Petal High School	Public	9-12	1145 Highway 42 E	Petal	39465	Forrest County	Petal School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 545-1229	1,324	103	12.8	54.8%	895 (67.6%)	244 (18.4%)	127 (9.6%)	7 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (3.7%)	73.6	45^th of 224 public high schools	79.9%		84.2	23^rd of 232 public high schools	90.1%	22					83.4	63.6		66.8	$11,261

Frequently Asked Questions about Perry Central High School

How many students attend Perry Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Perry Central High School.

Is Perry Central High School a good school?

Perry Central High School ranks 118^th of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Perry Central High School in?

Perry County School District

What schools feed into Perry Central High School?

Perry Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Runnelstown School
Elementary : South Perry Elementary School
Middle : Perry Central Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Perry Central High School?

Students at Perry Central High School are 54% White, 23% African American, 21% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 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.