Quitman High School

Quitman High School in Quitman, MS, is a public school serving 437 students in grades 9–12 in a small, rural community, and it is part of the Quitman School District, which ranks 91st out of 134 Mississippi districts with a 2-star rating. The school itself moved up to 149th out of 224 high schools this year, a notable jump from 186th last year, and nearly all students (100%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in the highest-poverty category.

The most striking challenge is chronic absenteeism: 46.5% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, roughly double the state average of 23.9% and far higher than nearby Heidelberg High School (10.0%), Enterprise High School (17.1%), and Clarkdale High School (29.7%). Quitman also has a very high student-teacher ratio of 26.9-to-1, compared to 15.1 at Heidelberg, 11.1 at Clarkdale, and 8.3 at Enterprise. These issues likely contribute to academic performance that lags the state on all End-of-Course tests, with English II a particular weakness at only 33.8% proficient versus the state's 49.3%. Enterprise and Clarkdale both post English II proficiency rates above 60%, and even Heidelberg, which shares Quitman's 100% poverty rate, outperforms Quitman in Algebra I and English II.

Despite these struggles, Quitman High has some bright spots. Its graduation rate reached 95.6% in 2024–2025, above the state average of 89.2% and a strong improvement from 85.7% a few years earlier. Math and science scores are also trending upward; Algebra I proficiency rose from 39.3% in 2022–2023 to 59.1% recently, and Biology climbed from 35.2% to 59.4%. However, the school remains the lowest-ranked in its immediate area, behind Enterprise High School (ranked 9th), Clarkdale High School (14th), and Heidelberg High School (137th). With absenteeism at record highs and class sizes growing, Quitman High needs targeted support around attendance and English instruction to build on its recent gains and give all students a fair chance to succeed.