These are the top 20 middle schools in Mississippi. See where your school ranked

Mona Moore, Chelsea Madden
·8 min read
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Five of Mississippi’s best middle schools are located on the Mississippi Coast.

Biloxi Junior High School, Ocean Springs Middle School, Bayou View Middle School, Biloxi Upper Elementary School and Long Beach Middle School ranked in Niche.com’s list of the top 20 public middle schools in Mississippi. Each school’s overall Niche grade was A.

After analyzing data and reviews of the state’s 258 public middle schools, Niche graded each school for its academics, diversity and teachers.

The 2023 report ranked Biloxi Junior High School as the best public middle school on the Coast and the fifth best public middle school in the state. The Biloxi Public School District middle school has a student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1 and earned an overall grade of A in the Niche ranking.

Ocean Springs Middle School was the second highest middle school on the Coast, with an overall grade of A and a student-teacher ratio that was also 11 to 1. More than 60% of students ranked at or above proficiency in state reading, language and math tests. The middle school was ranked seventh in the state. Its teachers ranked 15th in the state.

Bayou View Middle School ranked 12th in the state and third on the Coast. As part of the Gulfport School District, Bayou View serves 907 students and has a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.

Biloxi Upper Elementary School ranked 13th in the state. The school teaches about 860 students in fifth and sixth grades. The student-teacher ratio is 15 to 1.

Long Beach Middle School ranked 17th in the state with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. The school is part of the Long Beach School District and serves about 500 students.

Niche grades and analyzes schools and neighborhoods throughout the U.S. using data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Census and FBI plus more than 100 million reviews and survey responses from students, parents and residents to rank schools in every county and city in the country.

“We get deep too, asking questions about everything from college prep to cafeteria food,” said Niche on its website. “Though quality data is a priority, at Niche, we know that a school is more than a collection of stats.”

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Niche also looks at each school’s academics and culture.

  • Academics Grade: Based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses on academics from students and parents.

  • Teachers Grade: Based on teacher salary, teacher absenteeism, state test results, and survey responses on teachers from students and parents.

  • District Grade: Based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data along with millions of reviews from students and parents.

  • Culture & Diversity Grade: Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.

  • Parent/Student Surveys Grade: Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding the overall experience of students and parents from the school.

Here are the top 20 middle schools in Mississippi:

1. Petal Middle School

  • Petal, Mississippi

  • Petal Public School District

  • 743 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Overall grade: A+

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 72% of students are at least proficient in math and 55% in reading.

2. Petal Upper Elementary School

  • Petal, Mississippi

  • Petal School District

  • 608 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 5 and 6

  • Overall grade: A+

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 67% of students are at least proficient in math and 57% in reading.

3. Madison Middle School

  • Madison, Mississippi

  • Madison County School District

  • 1,167 students, student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Ranked best public middle school in the Jackson area

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 66% of students are at least proficient in math and 57% in reading.

4. Oxford Middle School

  • Oxford, Mississippi

  • Oxford School District

  • 673 students, student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 55% of students are at least proficient in math and 48% in reading.

5. Biloxi Junior High School

  • Biloxi, Mississippi

  • Biloxi Public School District

  • 1,002 students, student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Ranked best public middle school in Harrison County

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A+

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 60% of students are at least proficient in math and 43% in reading.

6. Lovett Elementary School

  • Clinton, Mississippi

  • Clinton Public School District

  • 396 students, student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1

  • Grade 6

  • Ranked best public middle school in Hinds County

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 54% of students are at least proficient in math and 49% in reading.

7. Ocean Springs Middle School

  • Ocean Springs, Mississippi

  • Ocean Springs School District

  • 975 students, student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Ranked best public middle school in Jackson County

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B+

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 66% of students are at least proficient in math and 61% in reading.

8. Oxford Intermediate School

  • Oxford, Mississippi

  • Oxford School District

  • 674 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grade 6

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 51% of students are at least proficient in math and 50% in reading.

9. Booneville-R.H. Long Middle School

  • Booneville, Mississippi

  • Booneville School District

  • 390 students, student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1

  • Grades 5 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 47% of students are at least proficient in math and 43% in reading.

10. Germantown Middle School

  • Madison, Mississippi

  • Madison County School District

  • 1,073 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Ranked third best public middle school in the Jackson area

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 55% of students are at least proficient in math and 58% in reading.

11. Clinton Junior High School

  • Clinton, Mississippi

  • Clinton Public School District

  • 911 students, student-teacher ratio of 18 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A-

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 69% of students are at least proficient in math and 54% in reading.

12. Bayou View Middle School

  • Gulfport, Mississippi

  • Gulfport School District

  • 907 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Ranked second best middle school in Harrison County

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 54% of students are at least proficient in math and 49% in reading.

13. Biloxi Upper Elementary School

  • Biloxi, Mississippi

  • Biloxi Public School District

  • 860 students, student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1

  • Grades 5 and 6

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A-

  • Diversity: A+

  • Teachers: A+

According to state test scores, 61% of students are at least proficient in math and 45% in reading.

14. Enterprise Middle School

  • Enterprise, Mississippi

  • Enterprise School District

  • 260 students, student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1

  • Grades 5 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 67% of students are at least proficient in math and 51% in reading.

15. Northwest Rankin Middle School

  • Flowood, Mississippi

  • Rankin County School District

  • 1,431 students, student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 63% of students are at least proficient in math and 51% in reading.

16. Brandon Middle School

  • Brandon, Mississippi

  • Rankin County School District

  • 1,240 students, student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 67% of students are at least proficient in math and 49% in reading.

17. Long Beach Middle School

  • Long Beach, Mississippi

  • Long Beach School District

  • 499 students, student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1

  • Grades 7 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: A-

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 65% of students are at least proficient in math and 52% in reading.

18. Caledonia Middle School

  • Caledonia, Mississippi

  • Lowndes County School District

  • 554 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 6 to 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A

  • Diversity: B

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 60% of students are at least proficient in math and 50% in reading.

19. Tupelo Middle School

  • Tupelo, Mississippi

  • Tupelo Public School District

  • 1,118 students, student-teacher ratio of 11 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A-

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 51% of students are at least proficient in math and 40% in reading.

20. Pontotoc Junior High School

  • Pontotoc, Mississippi

  • Pontotoc City Schools

  • 404 students, student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1

  • Grades 7 and 8

  • Overall grade: A

  • Academics: A-

  • Diversity: A

  • Teachers: A

According to state test scores, 59% of students are at least proficient in math and 37% in reading.