Summary:
Zip code 39194 is home to two public high schools serving grades 9 through 12 in Yazoo City, Mississippi: Yazoo City High School and Yazoo County High School, which together educate about 931 students, nearly all of whom come from low-income households. Despite serving almost identical student populations, the two schools deliver very different results.
Yazoo County High School is the clear standout, with a graduation rate of 88.4% compared to Yazoo City High School's 66.9%, a state ranking in the 30th percentile, and far higher proficiency on every MAAP subject. It also has a much more favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.2 versus 18.9, meaning students get more individual attention. Yazoo City High School, by contrast, remains in the bottom 1-2% of Mississippi high schools, with a 0-star rating, chronic absenteeism over 53%, and an English II proficiency rate of just 14.7%.
Both schools face serious challenges, including chronic absenteeism rates nearly double the state average and below-average scores in all tested subjects. However, Yazoo County High School is improving its state ranking each year, while Yazoo City High School, part of the Mississippi Achievement School District Of Yazoo City, has stayed flat at the bottom. The Yazoo County School District appears to be getting more out of similar circumstances, highlighting that staffing, attendance, and school climate matter just as much as poverty. For parents, the choice is clear: Yazoo County High School is the stronger academic option in this zip code.
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