Tupelo High, 4125 Golden Wave Drive: grades 9 to 12, 2,101 students in 2023-24, and a C from the state with 686 points for 2025-26.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Tupelo High website and its leadership page; the Tupelo Public School District’s schools page, phone directory, athletics page, 2026-27 calendar (PDF) and 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times (PDF); the Mississippi Department of Education’s 2026 accountability results and report card; the MHSAA; and the federal NCES school directory.

Tupelo High School is the Tupelo Public School District’s only high school, for ninth through 12th grade. Every district student who reaches ninth grade attends it. The teams are the Golden Wave. The Tupelo Career-Technical Center shares the campus.

Who to call

Principal

Principal Mark Enis, according to the school’s website. The same page lists an assistant principal for each grade (Tyrone Catledge for ninth, Krystle Grice for 10th, Constance Burleson for 11th and Russ Harrell for 12th), Christy Jordan for testing and student services, Landon Morse as director of academic excellence and Ryan Curry as director of the Tupelo Career-Technical Center.

Enrollment and teachers

The most recent federal count, from the NCES directory for the 2023-24 school year, is 2,101 students and 133 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 15.8 students per teacher. The state’s 2025-26 report card counts 151.9 teacher FTEs at the school.

State report card

Tupelo High earned a C for 2025-26, with 686 of 1,000 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results file, released Oct. 15, 2026. That is three points short of a B: a high school needed 689 points for a B and 769 for an A this year, according to the state’s guide to the system (PDF). The Tupelo Public School District as a whole earned a B with 657 points. The school’s 2024-25 report card shows a B.

From the same file and the school’s report card:

Measure, 2025-26 Tupelo High
Reading (English II) proficiency 52.7%
Math (Algebra I) proficiency 71.4%
Science (Biology) proficiency 66.8%
Reading growth, all students 69.0%
Math growth, all students 81.2%
Four-year graduation rate counted in the grade 88.4%
Acceleration (advanced courses) 69.2%
Chronically absent students 42.3%

Mississippi grades every school and district from A to F. The state’s guide says the grade counts test scores in English, math and science, how much students improve from one year to the next, with extra weight on the lowest-performing 25% of students, English learners’ progress and, for high schools, the graduation rate, advanced courses and college and career readiness. Because the writing part of the English test was field tested in 2026, the state used the higher of the 2025-26 or 2024-25 English results. The state also raised the bar this year, and says 2025-26 grades set a new baseline that “cannot be compared” to earlier years.

Attendance zone

The Tupelo Public School District has one high school, so every district address is zoned for Tupelo High. Its feeder school is Tupelo Middle School, for seventh and eighth grade, which takes every sixth grader from Milam Elementary.

The district’s boundary is not the same as the city limits or a Tupelo mailing address. Parts of the area are served by the Lee County School District instead. To confirm an address, call Student Support Services, which handles admissions and “identifying school attendance zones,” at 662-841-8955. We found no zone change approved by the school board.

Calendar and bell times

On the district’s 2026-27 arrival and dismissal times, Tupelo High starts at 8 a.m. and dismisses at 2:15 p.m. The latest check-in is 10 a.m. and the earliest check-out 12:10 p.m. Early dismissal is at noon; on a one-hour delay school starts at 9 a.m., and on a two-hour delay at 10 a.m. The school also posts its own bell schedule.

From the district’s 2026-27 calendar:

  • Monday, Oct. 19: classes resume after fall break
  • Nov. 17: second-quarter progress reports
  • Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving holidays
  • Friday, Dec. 18: end of the second quarter, early dismissal
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: Christmas holidays; students return Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
  • March 8-12, 2027: spring break

Sports and activities

Tupelo High plays in Class 7A, Region 1 of the Mississippi High School Activities Association for 2025-27, according to the MHSAA football alignment and its basketball alignment. The other region schools are DeSoto Central, Hernando, Horn Lake, Lewisburg and Southaven. Home football games are at Renasant Field on the campus.

The district’s athletics page lists these Golden Wave teams:

  • Boys: football, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, basketball, baseball, track and field, tennis, bowling and archery
  • Girls: volleyball, golf, cross country, swimming, soccer, basketball, softball, track and field, tennis, bowling and archery
  • Also: coed cheer and the Wavettes

The school’s arts pages list band, choral music (including MadJazz and the Madrigals), orchestra, show choirs, theater and visual arts. Schedules and results: our Friday night football page and the scoreboard.

Programs, as the district names them: its Career Academies page lists Advanced Placement, the Tupelo Career-Technical Center, dual enrollment and dual credit, career pathways, JROTC, a Freshman Academy for every ninth grader and the Middle College Academy, which it calls “a collaboration among THS, TCTC, TPSD and ICC.” The district’s fast facts list 18 Advanced Placement offerings. The Middle College counselor is at 662-841-8980, extension 7.

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does Tupelo High School serve?

Ninth through 12th grade. It is the Tupelo Public School District’s only high school, at 4125 Golden Wave Drive.

What grade did Tupelo High get from the state?

A C for 2025-26, with 686 of 1,000 possible points, in the Mississippi Department of Education’s results released Oct. 15, 2026. A high school needed 689 points for a B this year.

What time does Tupelo High School start?

8 a.m., with dismissal at 2:15 p.m., on the district’s 2026-27 arrival and dismissal schedule. Early dismissal days end at noon.

Which school feeds into Tupelo High?

Tupelo Middle School, the district’s only school for seventh and eighth grade, so every district student moves up to Tupelo High.

What classification is Tupelo High in?

Class 7A, Region 1 in the MHSAA’s 2025-27 football alignment, with DeSoto Central, Hernando, Horn Lake, Lewisburg and Southaven.