Of the 10,838 students enrolled in Forrest County schools in 2023-24 school year, 46.2% were Black or African American, according to the Mississippi Department of Education. This was the most represented ethnicity among Forrest County students.
This is a 1.3% increase over the previous school year.
Countywide, Petal High School had the largest enrollment of Black or African American students in the 2023-24 school year.
A snapshot of Forrest County schools showed that 46.2% of the students were Black or African American, 40.1% were white, 6.1% were Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% were multiracial and 0.1% were Asian.
There are 20 schools within Forrest County.
Mississippi’s schools, with an enrollment of 436,523 in the 2023-24 academic year, are mostly divided between two ethnicities, with Black or African American students being the largest racial group at 46.86%, followed by white students at 42.14%.
Students in the state showed a significant improvement in the 2022-23 academic year, demonstrating sustained progress in their post-pandemic recovery. Overall, 87% of schools and 91% of districts achieved a grade of C or better, compared to 81% of schools and 87% of districts in the prior year.
Results from the 2022-23 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) showed students reaching an all-time high in all core subjects. Students better performed on the Math and English portion of the test, achieving grades around 5% better than in the previous year.
| School | Asian % | Black or African American % | Hispanic or Latino % | Multiracial % | White % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petal High School | 0% | 19.4% | 6.8% | 5.2% | 67.5% |
| Petal Primary School | 0% | 17.3% | 5.9% | 8.5% | 67.8% |
| Hattiesburg High School | 0% | 89.8% | 6.1% | 2.6% | 0% |
| Petal Middle School | 0% | 17.7% | 5.9% | 6.2% | 69.6% |
| Petal Upper Elementary School | 0% | 18.2% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 71.6% |
| Petal Elementary School | 0% | 17.3% | 0% | 8.6% | 68.3% |
| Forrest County Agricultural High School | 0% | 28.8% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 61.4% |
| South Forrest Attendance Center | 0% | 5.7% | 3% | 10.4% | 80.9% |
| Thames Elementary School | 0% | 85.9% | 0% | 6.3% | 4.3% |
| N.R. Burger Middle School | 0% | 85.2% | 9.4% | 3.8% | 0% |
| Dixie Attendance Center | 0% | 31% | 0% | 9.3% | 55.6% |
| Woodley Elementary School | 0% | 62.3% | 21.3% | 5.2% | 11.3% |
| Rowan Elementary School | 0% | 94.6% | 2.6% | 0% | 0% |
| North Forrest High School | 0% | 70.6% | 4.9% | 8.1% | 15.3% |
| Grace Christian Elementary School | 0% | 88.7% | 0% | 7.8% | 0% |
| Hawkins Elementary School | 0% | 69.2% | 23.2% | 4.2% | 0% |
| Earl Travillion Attendance Center | 0% | 70.5% | 20.5% | 5% | 3.9% |
| Rawls Springs Attendance Center | 6.5% | 64.2% | 5.1% | 5.6% | 18.6% |
| North Forrest Attendance Center | 0% | 67.8% | 4.7% | 6.5% | 21% |
| Hattiesburg Steam Academy | 0% | 85.4% | 9.8% | 0% | 0% |
