Schools in Zip Code 38841

Zip code 38841 in Mississippi is served by 4 public schools in the Pontotoc County School District, a 4-star district ranked 28th out of 134 statewide (79th percentile). The schools form a nearly complete K-12 pipeline: North Pontotoc Elementary School (K-4, 762 students), North Pontotoc Upper Elementary (5-6, 297 students), North Pontotoc Middle School (7-8, 308 students), and North Pontotoc High School (9-12, 488 students), for a total of 1,855 students. All four schools serve a very high-poverty population, with Free/Reduced Lunch eligibility between 98.99% and 99.61%, making the academic results even more notable.

The clear standout is North Pontotoc High School, which has risen to #30 out of 224 high schools statewide (87th percentile). Its end-of-course scores are well above state averages in Algebra I (78% vs. 66%), Biology (81.2% vs. 63.1%), and English II (57.1% vs. 49.3%). However, its graduation rate of 84.7% trails the state average of 89.2%, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 40.3% is nearly double the state average of 23.9%. North Pontotoc Middle School boasts 100% Algebra I proficiency for two straight years and strong 8th grade science (75.9% vs. 57.8%), but its 7th grade ELA proficiency of 26.6% is the lowest in the zip code. North Pontotoc Elementary School posts strong 4th grade math (65.5% vs. 51.5%), while North Pontotoc Upper Elementary showed sharp math gains in 5th and 6th grades.

Chronic absenteeism rises with grade level, from 21.0% in elementary to 40.3% at the high school, likely contributing to the below-average graduation rate. The 6th and 7th grade ELA scores are the clear weak points in the pipeline. The high school's rapid rise from the 67th to 87th percentile over two years contrasts with the middle school's steady decline from the 83rd to 65th percentile. If the district can improve attendance and support middle school literacy, these schools could become even stronger across the entire K-12 pipeline.