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South Pontotoc High School

Q: Is South Pontotoc High School a good school?

South Pontotoc High School ranks 81 st of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

81^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 Mississippi High Schools

Better than 64% of Mississippi high schools

Summary

South Pontotoc High School is a small, rural high school in Pontotoc, Mississippi, serving 455 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Pontotoc County School District, a 4-star district ranked 28th in the state. The school itself is ranked 81st out of 224 Mississippi high schools for 2025–2026, and serves a student population where 99.34% qualify for free or reduced lunch — among the highest poverty rates in the area.

The school's most impressive result is its graduation rate: 92.2% in 2024–2025, above the state average (89.2%) and well above sister school North Pontotoc High School's 84.7%. South Pontotoc also leads nearby schools in English II, with a 57.5% proficiency rate that tops Tupelo High School (51.8%), New Albany High School (50.9%), and Pontotoc High School (55.1%). Algebra I is more uneven — proficiency swung from 77.2% in 2024–2025 down to 64.3% in 2025–2026, below the state average of 66%. Biology and U.S. History results also fluctuate year to year.

The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism. In 2023–2024, 48.3% of South Pontotoc students were chronically absent — more than double the state average (23.9%) and the highest among nearby schools, including North Pontotoc (40.3%), Tupelo (41.5%), and New Albany (15.3%). This rate has more than doubled since 2018–2019 and is likely the main drag on test scores and the school's state ranking, which has slipped from 28th in 2015–2016 to 81st today. With a favorable 12.2 student–teacher ratio and clear strength in English, South Pontotoc has a solid foundation — but improving attendance would likely stabilize academics and close the gap with its higher-performing sister school, North Pontotoc High School.

455

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,834

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1523 South Pontotoc Rd
Pontotoc, MS 38893

(662) 489-5925

District: Pontotoc County School District

Feeder schools for South Pontotoc High School:

Elementary:	South Pontotoc Elementary School
Middle:	South Pontotoc Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.0%

Hispanic:

9.0%

African American:

7.5%

See top rated Mississippi high schools

Compare South Pontotoc High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Mississippi average (89%)

✓Above the Mississippi median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 24% Mississippi)

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg69%

Mississippi avg60%

81^st of 224

Mississippi public high schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

28^th of 133Pontotoc 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	63.2	81 of 224	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.5	103 of 232	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.5	63 of 228	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	62.0	85 of 226	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.2	105 of 228	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.0	62 of 231	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	52.2	104 of 233	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	60 of 233	74.2%	★★★★☆
2017	75.3	43 of 237	81.9%	★★★★☆
2016	79.9	28 of 231	87.9%	★★★★☆
2015	69.8	43 of 226	81.0%	★★★★☆
2014	68.6	59 of 236	75.0%	★★★★☆
2013	70.2	61 of 238	74.4%	★★★★☆
2012	61.0	88 of 241	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	78.1	21 of 244	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	69.0	67 of 235	71.5%	★★★★☆
2009	79.5	20 of 235	91.5%	★★★★★
2008	80.9	14 of 235	94.0%	★★★★★
2007	76.7	28 of 232	87.9%	★★★★☆
2006	82.1	2 of 232	99.1%	★★★★★
2005	78.1	19 of 232	91.8%	★★★★★
2004	80.1	8 of 232	96.6%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Biology67%+4 vs state

Algebra I64%~ state avg

English II57%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Pontotoc 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
South Pontotoc High School	Public	9-12	1523 South Pontotoc Rd	Pontotoc	38893	Pontotoc County	Pontotoc County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 489-5925	455	37	12.2	99.3%	373 (82.0%)	34 (7.5%)	41 (9.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	63.2	81^st of 224 public high schools	63.8%		59.5	103^rd of 232 public high schools	55.6%	22	64.3	57.5	67.0	$14,834
Pontotoc Ridge Career & Technical County	Public	8-12	354 Center Ridge Drive	Pontotoc	38863	Pontotoc County	Pontotoc County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 489-1826	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pontotoc High School	Public	9-12	123 North Main Street	Pontotoc	38863	Pontotoc County	Pontotoc City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 489-1275	712	52	13.6	70.6%	334 (46.9%)	193 (27.1%)	168 (23.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.1%)	64.2	78^th of 224 public high schools	65.2%		73.5	64^th of 232 public high schools	72.4%	14	79.6	55.1	62.4	$10,053
North Pontotoc High School	Public	9-12	8324 Hwy 15 North	Ecru	38841	Pontotoc County	Pontotoc County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 489-5612	488	43	11.2	99.4%	338 (69.3%)	51 (10.5%)	82 (16.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	79.1	30^th of 224 public high schools	86.6%		72.6	65^th of 232 public high schools	72.0%	35	78.0	57.1	81.2	$13,684
Lee County Career & Technical School	Public	8-12	221 Honeycomb Way	Tupelo	38803	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	No	(662) 432-1090	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Tupelo High School	Public	9-12	4125 Golden Wave Drive	Tupelo	38801	Lee County	Tupelo Public School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 841-8970	2,123	153	13.8	61.5%	696 (32.8%)	1,075 (50.6%)	241 (11.4%)	42 (2.0%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (3.2%)	50.8	112^th of 224 public high schools	50.0%		56.5	111^th of 232 public high schools	52.2%	1	60.1	51.8	59.2	$12,106
Tupelo Lee County Vocational Technical School	Public	8-12	4125 Golden Wave Drive	Tupelo	38801	Lee County	Tupelo Public School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 841-8990	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
New Albany High School	Public	9-12	201 Highway 15 North	New Albany	38652	Union County	New Albany Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(662) 534-1805	605	47	12.9	53.1%	285 (47.1%)	159 (26.3%)	113 (18.7%)	16 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.3%)	68.8	69^th of 224 public high schools	69.2%		74.4	62^nd of 232 public high schools	73.3%	7	65.3	50.9	86.6	$13,783
School Of Career And Technical Educational	Public	8-12	203 Highway 15 North	New Albany	38652	Union County	New Albany Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(662) 534-1810	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about South Pontotoc High School

Is South Pontotoc High School a good school?

South Pontotoc High School ranks 81^st of 224 Mississippi high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into South Pontotoc High School?

South Pontotoc High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : South Pontotoc Elementary School
Middle : South Pontotoc Middle School

What is the racial makeup of South Pontotoc High School?

Students at South Pontotoc High School are 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 7% African American.

How many students attend South Pontotoc High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 455 students attended South Pontotoc High School.

What district is South Pontotoc High School in?

Pontotoc County School District

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

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

2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 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.