Summary:
Zip code 39466 is served by a single high school, Picayune Memorial High School, which enrolls 940 students in grades 9–12 and is part of the Picayune School District. The school’s state ranking has fluctuated in recent years, rising to a 76th percentile (4 stars) in 2024–2025 before settling at a 68th percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026, still an improvement over its 2023–2024 standing.
Academically, the school demonstrates clear strengths in math and science: Algebra I proficiency reached 79% in 2025–2026, well above the state’s 66%, and Biology improved to 69.1% compared to the state’s 63.1%. However, English II proficiency dropped sharply from 65.3% to 51.3%, leaving it barely above the state average of 49.3%. The graduation rate of 80.7% trails the state average by 8.5 percentage points, while chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at 35.6% versus 23.9% statewide. With 62.66% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school serves a majority economically disadvantaged population, and its student-teacher ratio of 15.4 suggests moderate class sizes.
Despite these challenges, Picayune Memorial ranks higher than its district’s overall 63rd percentile, making it a relative bright spot within the Picayune School District. The recent decline in English II performance and the persistent absenteeism gap are areas that likely need targeted intervention, especially given that the school is the only high school in the zip code and thus central to the community’s educational and economic future. While math and biology outcomes are encouraging, the combination of low graduation rates, high chronic absenteeism, and volatile English scores suggests that non-test factors such as attendance and credit completion may be holding the school back from more consistent improvement.
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