Pine Belt Times

There were 3,520 students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.8% fewer than the previous year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Boys made up 51.6% of the county's student body, while the other 48.4% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 51.4% of the student body, the largest percentage in Marion County schools, followed by Black students with 43.5%, 1.4% multiracial students and 0.7% Hispanic students.

West Marion High School had the highest enrollment among Marion County’s nine schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 587 students.

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 name	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Columbia Elementary School	338	369	9.2%
Columbia High School	469	471	0.4%
Columbia Primary School	466	433	-7.1%
East Marion Elementary School	394	359	-8.9%
East Marion High School	330	345	4.5%
Jefferson Middle School	373	357	-4.3%
West Marion Elementary School	259	234	-9.7%
West Marion High School	569	587	3.2%
West Marion Primary School	352	365	3.7%