Best Public Schools in Zip Code 38635

ZIP code 38635, covering Holly Springs, Mississippi, includes 7 public schools serving roughly 1,755 students across the Marshall County School District and the Holly Springs School District, with grade configurations ranging from PK–3 primary schools to a K–8 campus and a 5–12 high school. Every school in the area is high-poverty, with free/reduced-price lunch eligibility averaging 94.6%, and chronic absenteeism runs above the state average of 23.9% at five of the seven schools.

Galena School stands out as the strongest academic performer, posting the only above-state results in 3rd grade ELA, 8th grade math, and 8th grade science, while also having the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the ZIP at 21.6%. Holly Springs Junior High School is the most improved school, jumping from the 11th to the 42nd percentile in state rankings, with 7th grade math proficiency of 71.4% — the highest math score in the area and nearly 14 points above the state average. Holly Springs High School leads the ZIP in graduation rate at 95.5%, well above the state's 89.2%, though its test scores and chronic absenteeism of 43.3% remain significant concerns. H. W. Byers High School is the stronger of the two high schools academically, outpacing Holly Springs High School in Algebra I and English II while offering the lowest student-teacher ratio in the ZIP at 10.8.

Poverty alone does not explain outcomes here: H. W. Byers High School, with a 99.17% free/reduced-price lunch rate, outperforms the lower-poverty Holly Springs High School on key tests. Elementary math is weak across the area, but middle-school math is a bright spot at Holly Springs Junior High School and Galena School. ELA proficiency remains below state averages nearly everywhere, and dramatic year-over-year swings — for example, 3rd grade ELA at Galena School jumped from 16.6% to 62.5% — suggest small cohorts rather than stable instructional changes. Unusual grade configurations, including a K–8 school and a 5–12 high school, make direct comparisons difficult, but the bright spots show that success is possible despite challenging conditions.