Schools in Zip Code 39465

ZIP code 39465 in Mississippi contains 6 schools serving approximately 4,426 students across two districts: the 5-star rated Petal School District (ranked 11th out of 134 in Mississippi) and the 2-star Perry County School District. The area features a specialized grade-span model, including Petal Primary School (PK–2), Petal Elementary 3-4, Petal Upper Elementary (5–6), Petal Middle School (7–8), Petal High School (9–12), and the K–5 Runnelstown School.

The Petal schools are consistently strong, outperforming state averages by 10–22 points in most subjects, with math as a particular strength. Petal High School boasts a 95.8% graduation rate versus the 89.2% statewide average, but its state ranking has slipped from 18th to 45th in two years. Petal Middle School fell from 9th to 49th over the same period, with 7th grade ELA proficiency (40.2%) only slightly above the state average. Petal Elementary 3-4 remains a stable 4-star performer with the lowest chronic absenteeism in the ZIP code (10.6%), while Petal Upper Elementary posts excellent scores, including 82.6% proficiency in 5th grade science. Chronic absenteeism rises with grade level across Petal schools, peaking at 21.8% in middle school.

Runnelstown School is the clear outlier: this small school (173 students) has the highest poverty rate (75.7% free/reduced lunch) and highest chronic absenteeism (25.0%), and it scored below state averages in every subject tested in 2025–26, ranking 307th out of 377 schools. Despite all Petal schools serving majority low-income populations (54–64% free/reduced lunch), they outperform state averages by wide margins, proving that poverty alone does not determine outcomes. The combination of poverty and absenteeism at Runnelstown, however, creates significant academic challenges even with the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.0) in the area.