The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Science. The lowest is 43% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Raleigh High School
Raleigh High School sits in the small county-seat town of Raleigh, Mississippi, the civic heart of Smith County. The town is built around its courthouse square, with the Smith County Courthouse and a newer Chancery Court building anchoring downtown life. Raleigh is a place where civic identity runs through county government and seasonal traditions like the annual heritage festival. The population has been drifting downward for years, and the local economy reflects that pattern. Housing here is inexpensive relative to the state and the country, with home values sitting well below the Mississippi benchmark and far below the national one. Those values have been softening recently. For a family looking at the area, this means homeownership is within reach on modest incomes, but the trade-off is a community with limited commercial activity and no public transit.
The school serves grades seven through twelve and draws students from Raleigh, Polkville, and Sylvarena. It is a traditional public school within the Smith County School District, not a charter or magnet. The enrollment is moderate for a rural secondary school, and the student body is mostly white, with a meaningful Black minority and a small number of Hispanic and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the broader economic conditions in the area. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, the school shows a split picture between subjects and grade levels. Seventh-grade math stands out as the strongest result, with a clear majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Eighth-grade math and eighth-grade science land in a middling range, with roughly half or slightly more demonstrating proficiency. English language arts is the softer area. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency is the lowest reported figure, and eighth-grade ELA, while somewhat better, still trails the math and science results. A parent weighing this school may want to ask how the ELA program is structured across grades and what supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient readers.
Beyond these middle-grade test results, the picture is thin. The data provided does not include high-school-level state assessment results, a graduation rate, college-readiness measures, or information about advanced course offerings such as Advanced Placement or dual-credit pathways. Discipline data, staffing levels, attendance figures, and course-access details were also not available. Programs data was absent. This does not necessarily mean those offerings do not exist; it means the information was not provided in the sources reviewed. A family considering Raleigh High for a high school student should contact the school directly to ask about graduation pathways, career and technical education, dual-enrollment options, and any extracurricular or athletic programs, since none of that appears in the available data.
The district brief turned up little about recent policy or curriculum changes in Smith County School District, so there is nothing to report there. No neighbor comparison was available to position Raleigh High against nearby schools.
What the assembled evidence does say is that Raleigh High is a small-town, traditional secondary school serving a community where housing is affordable and civic life is courthouse-centered. Its middle-grade math and science results are reasonable, its ELA results are a weaker spot, and its high school program cannot be assessed from the data on hand. For a family already rooted in Smith County, the school is a local institution with clear strengths in quantitative subjects and a need for closer attention to literacy. For a family choosing from scratch, the next step is a direct conversation with the school about what the high school years look like academically and what supports exist for students who arrive below grade level.
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