Poplarville High School

Poplarville High School in Poplarville, MS, is a public school serving 540 students in grades 9–12 as part of the highly regarded Poplarville School District. The district ranks 8th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, earning a 5-star rating. The school itself is ranked 11th out of 224 Mississippi high schools, putting it in the 95th percentile for 2025–2026.

Academically, Poplarville consistently outperforms the state. On End-of-Course exams, the school posts 87.8% proficiency in Algebra I and 88.5% in Biology, compared to state averages of 66.0% and 63.1%. English II proficiency is 59.6%, which is above the state's 49.3% but is the school's relative weak spot. By comparison, nearby Pearl River Central High School is also a strong performer with identical English II scores, while Lumberton High School trails significantly in all subjects. Poplarville's graduation rate is 96.1%, well above the state's 89.2% and far higher than Lumberton's 77.3%.

The school also shines in attendance and class size. Chronic absenteeism has improved to 20.6%, below the state average of 23.9% and much better than Pearl River Central's 36.2%. With a 12.4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, students get solid individual attention. Roughly half of Poplarville students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making the school's high achievement especially notable. While English II performance has dipped somewhat in recent years and the state ranking has fluctuated between 2nd and 31st, the strong rebound to 11th place shows Poplarville remains an elite school in southern Mississippi.