Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38614

Zip code 38614 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, is served by 10 schools enrolling about 3,026 students in grades K-12 across three districts: Clarksdale Municipal School District, Coahoma County School District, and Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School. This is a high-poverty cluster — roughly 98% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and almost every school ranks in the bottom quarter of Mississippi. The schools include four elementary, three middle, two high schools, and one alternative academy.

The strongest statewide rank belongs to Coahoma County Junior High School (17th percentile), which leads the area in middle-school math. W.A. Higgins Academy Of Arts/International Studies is the most improved school, jumping from the 3rd to 16th percentile with gains across every subject. Oakhurst Intermediate School, unranked, posts strong 5th-grade results with attendance near the state average. The biggest concern is Clarksdale High School's 57.1% chronic absenteeism — more than double the state rate — while Coahoma County High School's ranking collapsed from the 22nd to 0th percentile despite a 90.7% graduation rate. J.W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy posts exceptional test scores but is a small alternative school with a 7.1% graduation rate, so it should not be compared with comprehensive high schools.

Chronic absenteeism separates local schools: Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School (20.6%), Oakhurst (21.3%), and Kirkpatrick Health And Wellness Magnet School (23.6%) are near the state average, while Booker T. Washington International Studies Magnet School (40.7%) and W.A. Higgins (44.2%) struggle badly. There's also a tradeoff between the two high schools: Clarksdale High School has better test scores but worse attendance and graduation, while Coahoma County High School graduates more students with lower scores. Middle-school math is a relative strength, but elementary proficiency — such as Clarksdale Collegiate's 8.8% fourth-grade math — remains extremely low. The bottom line: no school here exceeds the 17th percentile statewide; the bright spots are W.A. Higgins' improvement, solid middle-school math, and a few schools keeping attendance near the state average.