Summary:
The 38916 zip code area is home to two schools - Calhoun City High School and Calhoun City Elementary School, both part of the Calhoun County School District. These schools serve a predominantly high-poverty, racially diverse student population, but have consistently underperformed on state assessments compared to state averages.
Calhoun City High School is a relatively large high school with 396 students, 50.76% of whom are African American and 38.64% are White. Despite spending $12,243 per student, the high school ranks in the bottom half of Mississippi high schools, with proficiency rates ranging from 22.7% to 59.6% across different subject areas, well below the state averages of 40.2% to 70.8%. In contrast, Calhoun City Elementary School, with 268 students and a similar racial demographic, spends significantly less at $6,474 per student and also performs below state averages on assessments.
The persistently low academic performance of both schools, despite the high per-student spending at the high school, suggests long-standing challenges that the district has not been able to overcome. The high-poverty status of the student population, with over 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely contributes to these academic struggles. Addressing systemic inequities and ensuring equitable resource allocation across grade levels may be crucial in improving educational outcomes for these students.
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