Summary:
Zip code 39479 is home to just one high school—Seminary High School—serving grades 9 through 12 with 382 students in the Covington County School District. This is a very high-poverty school, with 99.21% of students receiving free or reduced lunch, but it stands out for steady improvement in its state accountability ranking.
Seminary High has climbed from 124th in Mississippi (2 stars, 46th percentile) in 2023-2024 to 85th (3 stars, 62nd percentile) in 2025-2026. In the latest year, it beat both district and state averages in Algebra I (78% vs. 61.1% district and 66% state) and Biology (69% vs. 58.3% district and 63.1% state). Its student-teacher ratio of 12.6 to 1 is favorable, and its graduation rate of 85.8% outpaces the district's 82.3% but trails the state's 89.2%. The school also outperforms its district in English II, though that subject remains a weak area at 44.9% proficiency compared to the state's 49.3%.
The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism: 47.4% of students were chronically absent in 2023-2024, nearly double the state rate of 23.9% and well above the district's 33.6%. Despite this, the school posted dramatic gains in Algebra I (+19.1 points) and Biology (+13.2 points) year-over-year, while English II dropped by 7.8 points. Parents should know that Seminary High is showing strong momentum in math and science despite economic barriers and high absenteeism, but literacy support and attendance improvement are critical areas to watch as the school continues to rise in state rankings.
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