Summary:
Zip code 38701, serving the Greenville, Mississippi area, contains two public high schools: Greenville High School, a traditional 9–12 school with 836 students in the Greenville Public School District, and O'Bannon High School, a 7–12 school with 467 students in the Western Line Schools district. Both schools serve student populations where virtually every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, yet their academic outcomes could hardly be more different.
O'Bannon High School is clearly the stronger performer. It ranks 143rd out of 224 Mississippi high schools (36th percentile) in 2025–2026, a sharp improvement from the 18th percentile just two years earlier. Its Algebra I proficiency rate of 77.4% exceeds the state average of 66%, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 28.3% is far closer to the state average of 23.9%. Greenville High School, by contrast, sits in the bottom 4% of the state, with an Algebra I proficiency rate of just 14.1% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 44.7%—nearly double the state average. While Greenville has a slightly higher graduation rate (78.1% vs. 76.2%) and a lower student-teacher ratio (13.9 vs. 17.5), these bright spots do not offset the large gaps in test scores and attendance.
Both schools graduate students at rates roughly 11–13 points below the state average of 89.2%, and English II is a shared weakness: proficiency is 22.6% at Greenville and 35.5% at O'Bannon, well below the state's 49.3%. However, the data also shows that poverty is not destiny. Despite nearly identical free-lunch rates, O'Bannon outperforms Greenville on nearly every metric and is trending upward, while Greenville has remained stagnant at the bottom. For parents, the takeaway is clear: O'Bannon offers a stronger academic environment and better momentum, while Greenville faces serious challenges around attendance and math proficiency that require urgent attention.
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