9 of Mississippi's 10 Highest-Absence Schools Had 'High' in Their Names

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT

The highest reported chronic-absence rates in Mississippi's 2025 school file were concentrated among schools with “High” in their names.

Among 845 schools enrolling at least 50 students, 9 of the 10 highest-rate schools had names containing the standalone word “High.” The name test is transparent, but it is not an official grade-span classification.

The top of the list

Claiborne County^↗'s Port Gibson High School reported the highest rate at 90.0%. Jackson Public Schools^↗' Forest Hill High School followed at 80.5%, and Provine High School reported 72.4%.

The next four High-named schools were Lee County^↗'s Shannon High School at 69.6%, Gentry High School at 67.3%, Magee High School at 67.2% and North Panola High School at 65.9%.

Jackson County Exceptional was the only school in the top 10 whose name did not contain “High.” Its reported rate was 64.7%.

Every school in that ranking enrolled at least 50 students. The cutoff prevents a very small denominator from determining the list, but it is an editorial threshold rather than an MDE category.

The pattern extends beyond the top 10

The name pattern also appeared across the broader distribution. The 220 schools with “High” in their names had a median chronic-absence rate of 35.0%. The 361 schools with “Elementary” in their names had a 21.0% median, a gap of 14.0 percentage points.

The upper tail differed more sharply. 82 of the 220 High-named schools reported rates of at least 40%, or 37.3%. Among Elementary-named schools, 13 of 361 reached that threshold, or 3.6%.

Schools with “Middle” or “Junior” in their names had a 26.7% median. Schools that did not fit any of the three name tests had a 24.4% median. The groups are descriptive labels derived from names, not verified grade configurations.

What the pattern does not prove

The chronic-absence file does not include an official school-level or grade-span field. Some schools combine grades, use nonstandard names or serve specialized populations. The analysis therefore cannot conclude that student age caused the difference.

The same caution applies to comparisons within each name group. A median summarizes the middle school, while the threshold share describes the upper tail; neither controls for district, enrollment, student population or school configuration. The fact that both measures point in the same direction makes the pattern worth investigating with verified grade spans and student-level breakdowns. It does not turn a naming rule into a causal model.

The Mississippi Department of Education's latest chronic-absence report recommends responses including mentoring, family engagement, health partnerships, alternatives to suspension and prompt personal outreach. Those statewide recommendations do not establish which barriers produced the school-level pattern.

This analysis uses MDE's 2024-25 school-level chronic absenteeism table, available through the department's public reporting archive. It includes schools with reported rates and enrollment of at least 50 students and makes no statewide aggregate claim.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.

Lee County - EdTribune MS - Mississippi Education Data

9 of Mississippi's 10 Highest-Absence Schools Had 'High' in Their Names

The top of the list

The pattern extends beyond the top 10

What the pattern does not prove