Summary:
Zip code 39046 in Canton, Mississippi, is served by a single high school: Canton High School, which enrolls 884 students across grades 9–12 and is part of the Canton Public Schools district.
As the only high school in the area, Canton High School is the sole focus of this analysis, and it faces serious academic challenges. In the 2025–2026 school year, the school ranked 211th out of 224 Mississippi high schools (6th percentile) and received a 0-star rating, a steep drop from its 2024–2025 ranking of 183rd (21st percentile). The graduation rate of 85.5% is a relative bright spot—it outperforms the district's 76.1% by 9.4 points but trails the state's 89.2%. However, test proficiency on MAAP end-of-course exams is far below state averages: Algebra I proficiency was just 28.2% versus 66.0% statewide, and Biology was 29.0% versus 63.1% statewide—both roughly 34–38 points behind. English II was the closest subject to the state average, with a 34.7% proficiency rate compared to 49.3% statewide.
Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 38.6% of students chronically absent in 2023–2024—well above the district rate of 26.4% and state rate of 23.9%. The student body is also overwhelmingly economically disadvantaged, with a free/reduced lunch rate reported at 101.7%, indicating that virtually every student comes from a low-income household. Academic performance has been notably volatile: Algebra I proficiency plummeted from 56.3% to 28.2% between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, while English II improved slightly from 32.7% to 34.7%. Overall, Canton High School remains in the bottom tier of Mississippi high schools, and while its graduation rate and relative strength in English provide modest positives, urgent interventions are needed in attendance, mathematics, and science to improve outcomes.
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