The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Math. The lowest is 51% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Newton County High School
NewtonCounty High School sits in Decatur, the county seat of Newton County, Mississippi, along State Highway 15 with Interstate 20 running nearby. The school serves the upper middle grades through high school and is part of the Newton County School District. It operates as a traditional public school. Its official grade listing includes the youngest middle grade, though no students are currently enrolled at that level.
The town of Decatur is small and self-describes with the motto "Faith, Family, Education." Educational institutions anchor the community. East Central Community College has its main campus here, and Newton County Academy, a separate private school, also operates in town. County government offices and the Newton County Courthouse provide civic and employment anchors. Turkey Creek Water Park, just beyond the town limits, offers fishing, camping, and family recreation. The town saw strong population growth in earlier years and has grown more slowly since. No public library branch or transit system was identified in publicly reported sources, and the built environment appears typical of a small rural Mississippi county seat.
Housing in the school's zip code is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values sit below the Mississippi state benchmark and well below the national figure, with a modest year-over-year decline recently. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are low. Rental data was not available. For a family considering a move, the housing market here is among the more accessible in the state, though the limited rental information may be worth looking into depending on whether you are buying or renting.
The school's enrollment is mid-sized for a secondary school spanning multiple grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Black population and a smaller but present American Indian and Alaska Native group. Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students each make up small shares. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those figures are not available here.
On state assessments, the most recent MAAP results show a clear pattern. Math proficiency is strong across both tested grades, with the older middle grade particularly high. Science proficiency for that same grade is also solid. English language arts tells a different story, with fewer than half of the younger tested grade reaching proficiency and the older grade's ELA at a middling level. The gap between math and reading performance is wide enough that a parent may want to look into how the school supports literacy across the secondary grades. Only middle-grade results were available. End-of-course high school assessment data, which Mississippi typically reports for subjects like Algebra I and Biology, was not included in the information provided.
Graduation rate data was not available in the materials reviewed. The same is true for course access, staffing ratios, discipline, and attendance. Program offerings such as Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit partnerships were not reported in the data provided, though the proximity of East Central Community College could create dual-credit possibilities that a family might ask about directly. The district brief noted no recent parent-relevant changes of lasting impact.
What the available picture does show is a rural secondary school with real strength in math and science, a weaker standing in reading, a student body that reflects the broader community's income profile, and housing costs that make the area relatively affordable. Families drawn to a small-town setting where education is a visible community priority may find this a reasonable fit, particularly if they are prepared to ask questions about literacy support and college and career pathways that the data did not answer.
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