Lamar County School District, MS

Original Research by School Decision on Lamar County School District

Lamar County School District serves a broad stretch of south Mississippi, drawing students from communities scattered across the county, including Purvis, Sumrall, Lumberton, Oak Grove, and parts of Hattiesburg. The district is sizable for its region, operating seventeen schools that span prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Families here are spread across four high school attendance zones, Oak Grove, Purvis, Sumrall, and Lumberton, each with its own elementary and middle feeder pattern. The district also runs a vocational-technical center and the Jefferson/Todd Alternative Program, giving students options beyond the traditional comprehensive high school pathway.

The district's student body is majority white, with a substantial Black enrollment and smaller Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial populations. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so economic disadvantage cannot be characterized from the numbers provided. English learner and special education rates were also missing. A parent wanting to understand the full socioeconomic picture of the district may want to look into this further with the district directly.

On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the most recent results paint a generally solid picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through eight cluster above the midpoint, with the strongest showing in seventh grade and a respectable third grade result. Fifth and sixth grade math sit lower than the other grades, which is a pattern worth asking about. In English language arts, results are more uneven. Third, fourth, and fifth grade reading proficiency are reasonably strong, but seventh grade ELA drops to the lowest point across all subjects and grades in the available data. Eighth grade ELA recovers somewhat but still sits below the elementary grades. Science results are a bright spot, with fifth grade science proficiency among the highest figures in the district and eighth grade science also performing well. Participation rates were not reported, so it is unclear whether all eligible students were tested.

No graduation rate, ACT or SAT scores, advanced course data, or college-readiness metrics were provided. For a district with four high schools and a career-tech center, the absence of upper-grade outcome data is a gap. A parent evaluating a high school in this district would want to ask about diploma pathways, advanced placement or dual-credit offerings, and post-graduation outcomes directly, since that information did not appear in the available data.

The housing market across Lamar County varies considerably by community. The districtwide typical home value sits below the national benchmark but modestly above the Mississippi state benchmark, and the year-over-year trend has been gently upward. Within the district, the range is wide. The Hattiesburg-adjacent zip codes carry the highest home values, reflecting that area's proximity to the city and the University of Southern Mississippi. Purvis and Sumrall sit in a middle tier, while Lumberton has the lowest home values in the district, with appreciation nearly flat. Rent data was available only for the Hattiesburg zip code, so rental costs across the rest of the district could not be characterized from what was provided. The price-to-income ratio suggests the area remains relatively affordable for buyers compared with national figures, and the estimated monthly mortgage sits below typical rent in the one zip where rent was reported, though that comparison is limited to a single area.

We looked for recent district-level changes that would matter to families, such as school closures, redistricting, leadership transitions, or major policy shifts. The search turned up only historical consolidation information and general district profile material, nothing recent that clears a lasting-impact threshold. The Lumberton schools appear to reflect a prior consolidation into the district, but no current changes were identified.

What this district offers is a multi-community, full-spectrum public school system with decent elementary and middle school assessment results, a particularly strong science showing, and a career-technical pathway alongside traditional high schools. The housing market is generally accessible, with meaningful variation depending on which part of the county a family chooses. The clearest questions for a parent are at the high school level, where outcome data was not provided, and in seventh grade ELA, where proficiency dipped notably. Those are the places where a conversation with school leadership would be most useful.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

10,498

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 4%

Black 29%

White 59%

Asian 2%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

17 schools are officially reported under this district.

BAXTERVILLE SCHOOL

PURVIS LOWER ELEMENTARY

SUMRALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JEFFERSON/TODD ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM

OAK GROVE HIGH SCHOOL

PURVIS HIGH SCHOOL

SUMRALL HIGH SCHOOL

LAMAR CO VOC TECH CENTER

OAK GROVE ELEMENTARY

OAK GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL

PURVIS MIDDLE SCHOOL

BELLEVUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SUMRALL MIDDLE SCHOOL

PURVIS UPPER ELEMENTARY

LONGLEAF ELEMENTARY

LUMBERTON HIGH SCHOOL

LUMBERTON ELEMENTARY

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

66%

Grade 3

59%

Grade 4

54%

Grade 5

54%

Grade 6

68%

Grade 7

58%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

63%

Grade 3

60%

Grade 4

66%

Grade 5

53%

Grade 6

43%

Grade 7

55%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

72%

Grade 5

64%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$201,893

Year-over-year change+2.9%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$129K to $279K

vs. state typical1.04x

vs. national typical0.55x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
39455	Lumberton	$129K	+0.3%	41.2%
39482	Sumrall	$262K	+3.2%	24.5%
39475	Purvis	$242K	+7.0%	23.6%
39402	Hattiesburg	$279K	+3.5%	9.3%
39429	Columbia	$135K	+0.5%	1.5%
39470	Poplarville	$199K	+2.9%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,490/mo

Year-over-year change+3.9%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
39402	Hattiesburg	$1,490	+3.9%	9.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,019/mo

Home price / national median income2.4x

Annual rent / national median income21.4%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$472/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$194,242 (+1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.