Stone High School

Stone High School is a public high school in Wiggins, Mississippi, serving 740 students in grades 9–12 as part of the highly regarded Stone County School District, which ranks 14th out of 134 districts in the state. The school itself holds a solid but more middle-of-the-pack position, ranking 84th out of 224 Mississippi high schools with a 3-star rating. Its graduation rate for 2024–2025 was 91.0%, slightly above the state average of 89.2%, and the student-teacher ratio was a healthy 12.6:1. About 59.7% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Stone High School has several clear strengths. The school consistently outperforms the state in English II, with 57.7% proficiency in 2025–2026 compared to 49.3% statewide, and it has been at or above the state average in Biology every year reported. Algebra I results are generally strong, hitting 77.7% proficiency in 2024–2025 versus 67.3% statewide, though the school has shown some year-to-year volatility in this subject. When compared to nearby Forrest County Agricultural High School, Stone posts a better graduation rate (91.0% vs. 89.9%), much lower chronic absenteeism (28.4% vs. 42.2%), and a lower poverty rate. However, FCAHS has outperformed Stone in math and science in recent years, particularly in Algebra I and Biology.

The biggest concern for Stone High School is chronic absenteeism, which has exceeded the state average every year — 28.4% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024 compared to 23.9% statewide. Another notable finding is the gap between the district's 5-star rating and the school's 3-star rating, suggesting that other schools in the Stone County School District are driving the district's top-10% ranking. Despite these challenges, Stone is a dependable mid-tier school with above-average graduation rates and competitive English and science scores. Reducing absenteeism would likely be the single most impactful improvement the school could make to climb into the upper tier of Mississippi high schools.