Best High Schools in Zip Code 38723

ZIP code 38723 contains one high school, Riverside High School, serving grades 7–12 in Avon, Mississippi.

Riverside High School is the only high school in this ZIP code, and it serves a student body of about 315 students with a relatively favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.9 to 1. The school operates within the Western Line Schools district, and nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a very high-poverty environment. This context is important for parents to understand because it shapes many of the challenges the school faces. Riverside’s graduation rate is 72.9%, well below the state average of 89.2%, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 39.9% is nearly double the district and state averages.

The most striking feature of Riverside High School is its volatile statewide ranking. It earned a 4-star rating and ranked 56th out of 232 schools in 2024-2025, but then dropped to a 1-star rating and 183rd place out of 224 schools in 2025-2026. This dramatic swing suggests that one-year results should be viewed with caution, especially given the small cohort sizes in a school of this enrollment. There are some academic bright spots: in 2024-2025, the school outperformed the state in Biology (64.1% proficient) and English II (62.0% proficient). However, in 2025-2026, proficiency in English II fell to 35.5% and Algebra I to 34.1%, while 8th-grade science improved to 50.0%.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Riverside offers both promise and risk. The school struggles with chronic absenteeism, low graduation rates, and below-average proficiency in most ELA and math subjects, but it has also shown it can surpass district and even state averages in specific subjects like Biology and English II in some years. The extreme year-to-year swings in test scores and rankings make it difficult to predict future performance, but they also highlight the potential for improvement with consistent support. Reducing chronic absenteeism appears to be the single most important opportunity for raising both graduation rates and academic achievement at this school.