Summary:
Zip code 39111 is served by one high school, Magee High School, which enrolls grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Simpson County School District in Magee, Mississippi. With 380 students, this small rural school faces significant challenges: it ranks in the bottom 11% of Mississippi high schools, earning just 1 star, and serves a high-need population where 85.53% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Perhaps most concerning, chronic absenteeism reached 56.8% in 2023–2024—more than double the state rate of 23.9%—which likely contributes to lower academic performance and engagement.
Magee's graduation rate of 78.3% trails the district (84.1%) and state (89.2%), meaning roughly 1 in 5 students does not graduate on time. On the 2025–2026 MAAP end-of-course exams, proficiency rates were below state averages in all three tested subjects: Algebra I at 34.8% (state 66.0%), English II at 34.6% (state 49.3%), and Biology at 44.6% (state 63.1%). However, the school outperformed its district in Biology (44.6% vs. 40.0%), and year-over-year gains were notable—Biology proficiency more than doubled from 21.7% to 44.6%, while English II improved from 28.1% to 34.6%. In contrast, Algebra I dropped from 43.4% to 34.8%, widening the gap with the state to over 31 points.
For parents, the picture is mixed. Magee High School is a high-poverty school with serious attendance and graduation concerns, and its test scores remain well below state averages in most subjects. The dramatic improvement in Biology and steady growth in English II show that targeted instructional efforts can yield positive results, though the decline in Algebra I highlights uneven performance across subjects. With no other high schools in the zip code for comparison, these are the sole local data points. Families considering this school should weigh its challenges alongside the bright spots, and understand that systemic issues like chronic absenteeism and poverty are central to its current standing.
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