Best Public Schools in Zip Code 39451

ZIP code 39451, serving Leakesville, Mississippi, contains three public schools that form a complete K–12 pathway within the Greene County Schools district: Greene County High School (grades 9–12), Leakesville Junior High (grades 5–8), and Leakesville Elementary School (grades PK–4). Combined enrollment is approximately 1,194 students, and all three schools serve exceptionally high-poverty populations, with more than 99% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch. The district itself ranks 58th out of 134 districts in Mississippi (3 stars), but individual school performance varies dramatically.

Greene County High School is the clear standout, ranking 15th out of 224 high schools statewide (93rd percentile, 5 stars) — a major jump from 54th the prior year. It posts a 93.2% graduation rate versus the 89.2% state average, with proficiency rates far above state averages in Algebra I (87.5% vs. 66.0%), Biology (93.4% vs. 63.1%), and English II (57.5% vs. 49.3%). Leakesville Junior High sits in the middle at the 64th percentile (3 stars), excelling in 8th grade science (64.6% vs. 57.8%) but falling below state averages in math in three of four grades. Leakesville Elementary School is the weakest-ranked school in the ZIP code at the 44th percentile (2 stars), with ELA consistently below state averages and math results swinging sharply from year to year.

Chronic absenteeism adds nuance: the high school's rate is 28.6%, nearly five points above the state average of 23.9%, even as it achieves top-tier outcomes, while the elementary (15.1%) and junior high (19.2%) both sit below that state threshold. The high school also benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (11.9:1) than either feeder school (15.9 and 16.2). The broader takeaway is that this ZIP code contains a high-poverty high school performing at an elite level, but math struggles in the middle grades and inconsistent elementary results suggest the pipeline feeding that success is fragile. Addressing these gaps will be essential to sustaining the high school's remarkable trajectory.