Schools in Zip Code 39074

In Mississippi's 39074 zip code, serving the Forest area, there are four public schools—Scott Central Attendance Center, Forest Elementary, Hawkins Middle School, and Forest High School—that together educate about 2,494 students across grades PK–12, with nearly all students facing high poverty levels. The schools belong to two districts: Scott County School District and Forest Municipal School District, which have very different overall ratings (3 stars vs. 1 star, respectively).

Parents will see dramatic contrasts between schools. Scott Central Attendance Center is the standout, despite having the highest poverty rate (99.65% free/reduced-price lunch) and chronic absenteeism of 37.1%. It posts the strongest graduation rate in the area (83.3%), far exceeds state averages in Biology (85.2% vs. 63.1% statewide), and shows solid science scores in grades 5 and 8. Meanwhile, Forest Elementary is the bright spot in the lower-rated Forest Municipal district, with 4th-grade math proficiency at 67.8%—well above the state average—and the lowest chronic absenteeism (18.3%) of the four schools. In contrast, Hawkins Middle School is the most concerning, ranking in the bottom 8% of Mississippi middle schools, with 7th-grade ELA at just 15.7% and 8th-grade math at 19.4%.

Secondary education is a particular weakness in this zip code. Forest High School has the lowest graduation rate (78.3% vs. 89.2% statewide) and the highest chronic absenteeism (39.8%), even though its Biology and English II scores improved sharply in the latest year. A common thread across schools is that math and ELA proficiency lag far behind state averages, while science is a relative strength. Another major issue is the sharp year-to-year swings in test scores—like Scott Central's 4th-grade math dropping from 63.4% to 22.3%—which suggest unstable outcomes and small testing cohorts. Overall, this is a deeply economically challenged community where Scott Central is outperforming expectations, but chronic absenteeism, middle-school performance, and math/ELA weaknesses are urgent concerns for parents to watch.