Summary:
Zip code 39443 in Laurel, Mississippi, is served by two public high schools within the Jones County School District, which is ranked #34 out of 134 Mississippi districts. Both West Jones High School and Northeast Jones High School serve grades 7 through 12, meaning test data includes middle school and high school end-of-course exams. West Jones is larger with 1,587 students and a 14.1 student-teacher ratio, while Northeast Jones enrolls 938 students with a lower 10.4 ratio. Both schools serve nearly identical populations, with about 66.3% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
West Jones has been the higher-ranked school historically, reaching #81 in 2024-25 before dropping to #128 in 2025-26. It leads in English language arts (45.7% vs. 37.4% in 7th-grade ELA) and 7th-grade math (72.5% vs. 64.5%). Northeast Jones, however, has been remarkably consistent — ranked #103, #104, and #108 over three years — and now surpasses West Jones in the latest ranking. It also has a higher graduation rate (93.2% vs. 91.2%), an outstanding 80.6% Biology EOC proficiency rate (versus West Jones' 53.9% and the state's 63.1%), and stronger 8th-grade math and science scores.
Both schools share challenges. Chronic absenteeism exceeds state averages, with West Jones at 26.3% and Northeast Jones at 29.9% versus the state's 23.9%. Both also fall below state averages in Algebra I and English II EOC exams, signaling a weak transition to high school coursework. English II declined sharply at both schools between 2024-25 and 2025-26. In short, no single school wins every metric: West Jones excels in ELA and lower-grade math, while Northeast Jones excels in graduation rate, Biology, and 8th-grade performance. Together, they provide complementary strengths within zip code 39443, with clear opportunities for improvement in EOC subjects and attendance.
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