The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in Math. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Simmons High School
Simmons High School sits in Hollandale, a small, predominantly residential rural town in the Mississippi Delta with a deep agricultural heritage. The town's economy has historically been tied to cotton farming, with limited commercial activity, and it has experienced sustained population decline over several decades. The community has been described in publicly reported research as one that has been mired in poverty for a long time, with a median household income well below state and national norms and a substantial share of residents living below the poverty line. Major employers have thinned over the years. The Delta and Pine Land Company, a cotton and soybean producer, remains a key employer, while a catfish processing plant that once provided jobs has since closed. Leroy Percy State Park, the oldest in Mississippi, sits just west of town and offers fishing, hiking, and camping. Deer Creek flows through the community.
The school is part of the Hollandale School District, classified by the National Center for Education Statistics in a rural, remote locale. It is named after educator E.P. Simmons, who publicly reported sources say founded one of the first schools for African-American children in the area. The school serves grades nine through twelve, though the state assessment data available comes from seventh and eighth grade test-takers, which likely reflects a different grade configuration during that reporting year or a combined grade span that has since changed. No high school grade assessment results, graduation rate, or college-readiness indicators were available in the data provided, so a parent looking at outcomes for students in the upper grades would want to ask the school directly for that information.
On the state MAAP assessments from the most recent reported year, math proficiency was low across both tested grades, with a somewhat higher share of eighth graders reaching proficiency compared to seventh graders. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with the lower grade showing modestly stronger performance and the higher grade showing a smaller share of students meeting proficiency. Science proficiency for eighth grade sat in a comparable low range. Participation rates were consistent across all tested subjects and grades.
Every student at Simmons qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is nearly entirely African American. The enrollment is small for a high school, spread across the four grade levels with a handful of ungraded students. Data on special education populations, English learners, staffing levels, course access, discipline, and attendance was not available, and no program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career and technical pathways were listed in the data. A parent considering this school would benefit from asking what college preparatory and career pathway options are available, since that information was not provided.
The housing market in Hollandale is among the most affordable in the state. Typical home values sit far below both the state and national benchmarks, and the most recent year-over-year change showed a further decline rather than stabilization or growth. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are modest, and the price-to-income ratio relative to national norms is low. No rental data was available. There were no major new housing developments identified in publicly reported sources, and the city's financial position has been described as constrained, with budget restraints in place indefinitely. Some recent infrastructure investment has come through state grants for drainage, water meters, and street and sewer repairs.
No neighbor comparison data was available to position Simmons against other schools in Washington County or the surrounding region, so we cannot say how it stacks up against nearby districts on the measures reported here. The district brief search found no parent-relevant changes such as curriculum shifts, referendums, or property-tax adjustments within the recent period.
For a family reading this, Simmons is a very small, rural, high-poverty high school in a Delta town with a deep history and a constrained local economy. The available assessment data, which covers only the lower grades tested, shows proficiency levels that are low, and a parent may want to look into what supports and interventions the school has in place. The absence of graduation data, course access information, and program details means the picture here is incomplete, and filling those gaps directly with the school or district would be worthwhile before drawing conclusions about the experience of students in the upper grades.
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