Summary:
Zip code 39206 in Jackson, Mississippi, is served by one public high school, Callaway High School, which enrolls 994 students in grades 9–12 and is part of Jackson Public Schools, a district ranked in the bottom 16% of Mississippi districts.
Callaway is a high-poverty school where every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, and it faces serious attendance challenges — 45.3% of students are chronically absent, nearly double the state average and far above the district's 30.1%. Despite these obstacles, the school shows some bright spots. Its graduation rate of 86.7% beats the district average of 83.7%, though it trails the state's 89.2%. In the most recent year, Callaway's Biology proficiency reached 54.3%, outperforming the district by 17.5 percentage points and coming within 8.8 points of the state. Algebra I proficiency jumped dramatically from 33.2% to 48.1%, moving from well below the district average to above it. However, English II remains a major concern, with only 21.6% proficient — below the district's 25.9% and far behind the state's 49.3%, and the school's overall state ranking remains in the lower quintile, with a 1-star rating in each of the past three years.
For parents, Callaway offers a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 13.9 and clear strengths in science and recent math gains, but chronic absenteeism and weak English performance are significant barriers. The school improved its state rank from 203rd to 180th in the latest year, matching its 20th-percentile showing from two years ago. While it continues to trail state averages in most subjects, Callaway is performing better than its district in several key areas, suggesting that despite systemic challenges, there are pockets of effective instruction worth building on. The most urgent needs are improving attendance and boosting English language arts achievement, which would likely help lift overall outcomes.
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