Picayune Memorial High School

Picayune Memorial High School in Picayune, MS, serves 940 students in grades 9–12 and is part of the Picayune School District, which ranks 50th out of 134 districts statewide. The school holds a state rank of 71st out of 224 high schools (68th percentile, 3 stars), placing it in the middle of the pack. About 63% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 15.4:1. Picayune's graduation rate of 80.7%, however, trails the state average (89.2%) and is well behind Hancock High School at 88.7% and Pearl River Central High School at 89.8% — a gap that has persisted for years.

Test scores tell a mixed story. Picayune shows a genuine strength in Algebra I with 79% proficiency, above Hancock's 76% and well above the state's 66%. But English II proficiency dropped sharply from 65.3% to 51.3% in the most recent year — well below Hancock (61.2%) and Pearl River (59.6%) and barely above the state average (49.3%). Biology also lags: 69.1% of students are proficient, above the state (63.1%) but far behind Hancock (77.8%) and Pearl River (78.7%). In prior years, Picayune actually outperformed its neighbors in English II, making the recent decline a particular concern.

Chronic absenteeism affects about 35.6% of Picayune students — similar to Hancock (34.5%) and Pearl River (36.2%), but far above the state average (23.9%). This regional attendance challenge, combined with higher poverty levels, likely contributes to the graduation gap. Picayune's state ranking has also been volatile, swinging from 142nd in 2021–2022 to a strong 55th in 2024–2025 before settling back to 71st. Key priorities are reversing the English II slide, improving graduation rates, addressing absenteeism, and closing the Biology gap. With a favorable student-teacher ratio and steady improvement in Algebra I, the school has clear opportunities ahead — but recent volatility shows gains are not yet stable.