Summary:
Zip code 39440, covering the Laurel, Mississippi area, contains just one high school: Laurel High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Laurel School District. With 732 students, this is the only high school in the area, so all school-level data also represents the district as a whole. The student body is almost entirely low-income, with 99.86% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern: 59.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2023–2024 school year, more than double the state average of 23.9% and well above the district’s own 35.9% rate.
Academically, Laurel High School trails the Mississippi state average in every tested subject. In the most recent 2025–2026 school year, only 38.8% of students were proficient in Algebra I compared to 66.0% statewide, a 27-point gap. English II proficiency was 40.5% vs. 49.3% statewide, and Biology was 48.6% vs. 63.1%. The school’s graduation rate of 83.2% is six points below the state’s 89.2%. There was one bright spot: Biology proficiency improved slightly from 46.8% to 48.6%, but that gain was not enough to close the gap. Algebra I proficiency, however, dropped sharply by 8.7 percentage points from the prior year, suggesting unstable progress.
Statewide, Laurel High School ranks in the bottom quarter of Mississippi high schools, with a ranking that has fluctuated from 196th to 152nd to 174th over three years. The school’s 1-to-2 star rating reflects this inconsistency. Parents should know that the school faces severe challenges from poverty and attendance, which are closely tied to academic outcomes. While there are no other high schools in zip code 39440 to compare against, the data shows clear priorities: improving attendance, stabilizing math instruction, and continuing to build on small subject-area gains will be essential to helping students succeed.
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