Summary:
Zip code 38829 in Booneville, Mississippi, is served by 7 schools enrolling roughly 3,004 students across the Booneville School District and the Prentiss County School District, both of which hold 4-star ratings and rank in the top quarter of Mississippi's 134 districts (22nd and 24th, respectively). The area serves a high-poverty population: about 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, from 60% at Booneville High School to 86.6% at Jumpertown School.
Wheeler High School stands out with the area's highest graduation rate (94.7%), a low 11.3% chronic absenteeism rate, and strong early math (88.6% 5th-grade proficiency). Hills Chapel School has improved its state rank three years straight, now sitting at the 74th percentile, with equally strong attendance. Jumpertown School, despite its high poverty, posted extraordinary science scores: 95.3% in 8th grade science and 86.9% in Biology. Meanwhile, Booneville High School fell from a 5-star, 92nd-percentile ranking in 2024-25 to a 4-star, 72nd-percentile ranking in 2025-26, with Algebra I proficiency now below the state average and the area's highest chronic absenteeism rate (24.0%).
Area-wide, early-grade math is a clear strength — 5th grade math proficiency tops 86% at both Wheeler and Hills Chapel — yet it fades by 8th grade, dropping to roughly 40-60%. English Language Arts is the weakest subject, with low points like 0% in 7th grade ELA at Jumpertown and 28.2% in 3rd grade ELA at Hills Chapel. Despite the high poverty, chronic absenteeism is well below the state rate (about 15% versus 23.9%), though it concentrates at the high school level. Interestingly, Prentiss County schools enjoy lower student-teacher ratios (8.5-11.7), yet Booneville School District schools often match or exceed them academically — indicating that class size alone doesn't drive outcomes.
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