Summary:
Zip code 39145 (Pelahatchie, MS) contains exactly two public schools, both part of the Rankin County School District: Pelahatchie Elementary (PK–6, 385 students) and Pelahatchie High School (7–12, 336 students), serving a community where roughly 6 to 7 in 10 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The district itself is strong, ranking 25th out of 134 Mississippi districts (81st percentile, 4 stars).
Pelahatchie Elementary is the standout of the two. Its state ranking has risen from 181st in 2023–2024 to 149th in 2025–2026 (60th percentile), and its 5th-grade science proficiency (79.7%) exceeds the state average (71.5%). The school also posted a dramatic one-year jump in 5th-grade ELA, from 34.1% to 62.9% proficient. Pelahatchie High School presents more of a contrast. Its 96.6% graduation rate tops the district (94.6%) and state (89.2%), and Biology (76.3%) and U.S. History (81.8%) proficiency are competitive with district averages. However, Algebra I proficiency is just 28.6% — less than half the state average of 66.0% — and 8th-grade math (38.5%) and English II (38.1%) also trail district and state averages significantly.
Both schools face a common obstacle: chronic absenteeism. With 22.1% of elementary and 18.3% of high school students chronically absent, both exceed the district average of 13.7%. The good news is that student-teacher ratios are very favorable — 12.5 at the elementary and 8.6 at the high school — providing a strong foundation for individualized attention. For parents, Pelahatchie Elementary is a school on the rise, with improving rankings, strong science, and surging literacy. Pelahatchie High School offers an excellent graduation rate and strong science/social studies performance, but its serious gaps in Algebra I and English proficiency suggest that while students are graduating, many may not be fully prepared for college or careers.
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