Schools in Zip Code 39429

ZIP code 39429, serving the Columbia, MS area, contains 7 schools spanning elementary through high school and split between two districts: Columbia School District and Marion County School District. The two districts offer distinctly different experiences, with Columbia schools generally ranking higher across all grade levels.

At the top of the pack is Columbia High School, ranking 53rd of 224 high schools statewide with a 92.7% graduation rate and strong scores in Algebra I, Biology, and English II. Columbia Elementary School is the ZIP's top elementary, ranking in the 66th percentile with especially strong 3rd-grade math and very low chronic absenteeism of only 9.6%. Columbia Primary School provides a solid early foundation with small class sizes and low absenteeism, though no test scores are reported for its PK–2 students. On the other end, East Marion Middle School is the most struggling school in the area, ranking in the 20th percentile with proficiency rates below state averages in every subject. Jefferson Middle School sits near the middle of the pack, while East Marion Elementary School and East Marion High School show solid results despite high poverty levels.

Notably, high poverty does not automatically mean low performance: East Marion High School serves a 98.6% free/reduced-lunch population yet ranks in the 58th percentile and outperforms the state in Algebra I and Biology. Chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at upper grade levels, with Jefferson Middle School at 42.0% and Columbia High School at 35.0%, while elementary schools stay well below the state rate. There is also an equity gap in class sizes, as East Marion Elementary School has the highest poverty rate and the highest student-teacher ratio at 17.8. Encouragingly, multiple schools are improving significantly, including Columbia High School jumping from 138th to 53rd and East Marion High School moving from 141st to 93rd, making this an area with clear momentum and room for growth.