Summary:
Zip code 39503 in the Gulfport, Mississippi area is served by two public high schools — Harrison Central High and West Harrison High — both serving grades 9 through 12 within the Harrison County School District, a district currently ranked 15th out of 134 districts in Mississippi. Together, these schools enroll approximately 2,700 students, representing two very different educational experiences within the same community.
West Harrison High is the clear academic standout in this area. It ranks #1 out of 224 Mississippi high schools for 2025–2026, and has been in the state's top 11 schools for three consecutive years with 5-star ratings each year. Its graduation rate is 94.1%, far above the district average of 87.0% and the state average of 89.2%. Harrison Central High, by contrast, has shown remarkable improvement. It jumped from #90 in state ranking during 2024–2025 to #18 in 2025–2026, earning a 5-star rating after receiving 3 stars the previous year. This improvement is especially impressive given that nearly 99% of Harrison Central's students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The two schools differ meaningfully in key metrics. West Harrison posts higher proficiency in every subject — 94.5% vs. 82.1% in Algebra I, and 76.2% vs. 63.4% in English II for 2025–2026. However, Harrison Central still exceeds state averages in most subjects, including 83.4% proficiency in Biology versus the state's 63.1%. The graduation gap is notable, with Harrison Central at 83.2% versus West Harrison's 94.1%. Chronic absenteeism mirrors this gap at 24.8% and 21.6%, respectively. Interestingly, Harrison Central has a slightly better student-teacher ratio at 15.8:1 versus West Harrison's 17.5:1, suggesting factors like poverty concentration and school culture play a significant role in outcomes. Both schools outperform state averages in most reported subjects, making this zip code a strong area for public education overall.
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