1
Best kept secret at WATER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
398
High
DISTRICT 499 · STATE 651
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WATER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 280450000845
Water Valley High School
550 Markette Street, Water Valley, MS 38965 · (662) 473-2468 · Yalobusha County
GRADES 07–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL398 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of Mississippi public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Mississippi public high schools
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 12.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
70%
278 students
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 80%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 71 | 18% |
| Grade 8 | 75 | 19% |
| Grade 9 | 60 | 15% |
| Grade 10 | 65 | 16% |
| Grade 11 | 64 | 16% |
| Grade 12 | 63 | 16% |
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Water Valley School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MAAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
37.0%
MS avg 45.9% . -2.8pp since 2023
Math
55.1%
MS avg 52.8% . -3.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the MAAP, Mississippi's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Mississippi schools, those numbers are about 46 and 53. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
MAAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.0% | 55.1% |
| 2023-24 | 39.8% | 58.1% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
53.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
59.3%
based on MS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% typical for Mississippi schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Mississippi's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Water Valley High School
Water Valley High School's state test result (53.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Valley High School this school | 398 | 69.8% | 53.5% |
| Baldwyn High School BALDWYN | 460 | 70.0% | 53.5% |
| Lawrence County High School Monticello | 529 | 66.7% | 46.0% |
| Senatobia High School Senatobia | 468 | 61.1% | 59.2% |
| Independence High School Coldwater | 507 | 70.2% | 50.3% |
| Amory High School Amory | 444 | 62.2% | 67.1% |
Matched among Mississippi high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Water Valley High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Mississippi |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.5% | #110 of 192 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.1% | #120 of 199 ▼ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.0% | #122 of 199 ▼ 16 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 398 | #134 of 203 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.7:1 | #37 of 192 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 54.9% | #59 of 192 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 69.8% | #114 of 194 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.7% | #35 of 121 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
398
-60 (-13%) vs 2020
-39% since 1990-91, when it was 649
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
was 13.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 398 | 37.1 | 10.7:1 | 70% (278) |
| 2023-24 | 400 | 34.2 | 11.7:1 | 65% (259) |
| 2022-23 | 436 | 35 | 12.4:1 | 99% (433) |
| 2020-21 | 458 | 34 | 13.5:1 | 99% (455) |
| 2017-18 | 461 | 32.9 | 14.0:1 | 62% (288) |
| 2015-16 | 514 | 39 | 13.2:1 | 67% (342) |
| 2010-11 | 563 | 37 | 15.2:1 | 63% (357) |
| 2000-01 | 550 | 41 | 13.4:1 | 64% (350) |
| 1990-91 | 649 | 41 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Water Valley High School.
About Water Valley High School
Water Valley High School is a high school in Water Valley, Mississippi, reachable at (662) 473-2468. The school covers grades 7 through 12 and reported 398 students in 2024-25. Across high schools in Mississippi, the average enrollment is about 651.
The Water Valley School District system has 2 schools and 997 students.
multiracial students are 62% of those enrolled at Water Valley High School. Next come 22% Black, 13% White, and 3% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 55%.
Based on 37.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, Water Valley High School has a ratio of 10.7:1. Compared with the 12.6:1 average for high schools in Mississippi, this school's ratio is lower. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 70%. The average for public schools in Yalobusha County is 81%.
Among Mississippi public high schools, Water Valley High School outscored 32%, which works out to a C on the allk12 Grade.
A school with Water Valley High School's lunch-eligibility share in Mississippi is predicted to score 59.3%. Water Valley High School scores 53.5%, 5.7 points below that line.
For the population of Yalobusha County, median household income comes to about $49,151, roughly 16% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 14%. Yalobusha County counts 4 public schools with about 1,364 students.
Water Valley High School's closest public school neighbor is Davidson Elementary School, about 1.1 miles away. On proficiency, Water Valley High School is behind the 59.8% nearby average, ranking 6th of 9.
NCES describes the area around Water Valley High School as Rural: Remote, meaning in rural territory far from an urban area.
The school shrank from 458 students in 2020-21 to 398 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 13.5:1 to 10.7:1.
Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at Water Valley High School. You can also rate the school on this page.
Yalobusha County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
12,419
Census ACS
Median income
$49,151
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
1,364 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Water Valley School District
- Davidson Elementary SchoolElementary · 599 students
Other schools in Water Valley
- Davidson Elementary SchoolElementary · 599 students
Nearby schools
- Davidson Elementary School1.1 mi · 599
- Coffeeville Elementary School12.4 mi · 257
- Coffeeville High School12.6 mi · 110
- Lafayette Upper Elementary School15.6 mi · 803
- Lafayette Middle School15.6 mi · 420
- Lafayette High School15.6 mi · 855
Frequently asked questions
About Water Valley High SchoolHow many students attend Water Valley High School?
Water Valley High School enrolls approximately 398 students in grades 07-12.
Is Water Valley High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Water Valley High School is a high school covering grades 07-12.
How many teachers does Water Valley High School have?
Water Valley High School employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Water Valley High School?
Student demographics at Water Valley High School are roughly 13% White, 3% Hispanic, 22% Black, 0% Asian, 62% Two or more.
Is Water Valley High School public or private?
Water Valley High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Water Valley School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.