Summary:
Zip code 38859 in Mississippi contains exactly one high school, New Site High School, a public school serving grades 9–12 with 239 students. Because it is the only high school in the area, this analysis focuses on how it compares to the Prentiss County School District and the state of Mississippi.
New Site High School is a top performer statewide, ranking 13th out of 224 schools in the 2025–2026 school year (94th percentile, 5 stars), 25th in 2024–2025 (4 stars), and 16th in 2023–2024 (5 stars). The school has a low student-teacher ratio of 10.2 to 1, and 68.2% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Test scores are strong across all subjects: in 2025–2026, Biology proficiency was 90.9% (vs. 63.1% statewide), Algebra I was 78.4% (vs. 66.0% statewide), and English II was 70.9% (vs. 49.3% statewide). The graduation rate is 88.2%, slightly below both the district (90.6%) and state (89.2%), while chronic absenteeism is 19.6% — lower than the state average of 23.9% but higher than the district average of 14.5%.
The most striking takeaway is the school's ability to achieve at a high level despite economic disadvantage. Biology is a major strength, with proficiency roughly 28–31 percentage points above the state average. English II improved from 62.5% to 70.9% in the last year, while Algebra I dipped from 93.1% to 78.4%, a change worth monitoring. The main areas for improvement are the graduation rate, which lags slightly behind the district, and chronic absenteeism, which runs above the district average. Overall, with no other high schools in the zip code for comparison, New Site High School clearly stands out as one of Mississippi's elite schools, achieving well above expectations.
Thank you for your feedback!