The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Math. The lowest is 43% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Richland High School
Richland High School sits on Highway 49 South in Richland, Mississippi, part of the Rankin County School District. It is a combined secondary school serving grades seven through twelve, which gives it a broader age range than a conventional high school. The campus draws from a community that publicly describes itself as a transportation and distribution hub for the Jackson metro area, sitting just across the Pearl River from the state capital and bordered by major interstate and highway routes. The local economy leans heavily on warehousing and logistics, and the built environment reflects that orientation. Commercial strips, distribution centers, and residential subdivisions define the landscape rather than a walkable town center. Housing here is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks, with home values sitting below the state midpoint and well below the national figure. The area has been growing steadily, with population rising since the last census and the city actively promoting commercial development.
The student body is mid-sized for a secondary school covering six grade levels. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a higher-need category relative to many suburban schools. The racial and ethnic mix is diverse. White students form the largest single group but do not constitute a majority. Black students are the next largest group, followed by Hispanic students and students of two or more races. A small Asian population is also present. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On state assessments, the most recent results available cover only the seventh and eighth grades, the middle-school portion of this school. Mississippi administers its MAAP tests at specific grade levels, and the data provided does not include high school end-of-course results for this school, so the picture is partial. What is available shows a split between math and English language arts. Math proficiency was above the halfway mark for both seventh and eighth graders, with eighth-grade results stronger than seventh. Science proficiency for eighth graders was also above half. English language arts was the softer area. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency fell below the midpoint, and eighth-grade ELA was near the middle but still under half. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the school's literacy supports and how reading outcomes are addressed across the middle grades, particularly given that the available ELA results trail the math and science marks. Participation rates were not reported for any of these assessments.
The gap in high school testing data is worth naming directly. Because this school spans grades seven through twelve, parents of older students are likely looking for end-of-course assessment results, graduation rates, and college-readiness indicators. None of those were included in the data provided, and the district brief did not surface specific program, facility, or bond-related information. Without those pieces, it is hard to render a full academic read for the upper grades.
Information on course access, Advanced Placement or dual-credit offerings, career and technical education pathways, staffing ratios, discipline data, attendance patterns, and extracurricular programs was also absent from what was provided. These are the kinds of details a family would want to request directly from the school, especially for a school covering the full secondary span where pathway options in the upper grades shape post-graduation options. The Rankin County School District, which operates this and the other public schools in Richland, would be the source for that information.
What the available data does convey is a school serving a working community in an affordable, growing suburb with a diverse student body and solid middle-grade math and science results, alongside English language arts outcomes that leave room for attention. For families in the area, the school's combined grade structure means younger and older students share a campus, which can be a practical consideration depending on a child's age and readiness for that environment.
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