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Pearl Junior High School

Q: Is Pearl Junior High School a good school?

Pearl Junior High School ranks 115 th of 266 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

115^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 266 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 57% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Pearl Junior High School in Pearl, MS, serves 944 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Pearl Public Schools district, which ranks in the top 25% of districts in Mississippi. The school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13:1, and a significant majority of its students (70.87%) are economically disadvantaged. While the school has historically been a 4-star institution, it has dropped to a 3-star rating in recent years, currently ranking 115th out of 266 middle schools in the state.

Pearl Junior High stands out for its exceptional performance in advanced mathematics, with 97.7% of students scoring proficient or advanced on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam in 2024-2025—far exceeding the district average of 59.7% and the state average of 67.3%. However, the school faces challenges with rising chronic absenteeism, which has more than doubled from 8.4% in 2018-2019 to 22.6% in 2023-2024. Academic performance varies by grade: 8th graders outperform the state in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, while 6th and 7th graders lag behind, particularly in math. This suggests the school may be more effective at preparing students as they progress, or that the current 8th grade cohort is stronger.

Compared to nearby schools, Pearl Junior High occupies a middle ground. It significantly outperforms urban schools like Peeples Middle School in Jackson Public Schools, where only 4.4% of 8th graders are proficient in math, and has a much lower chronic absenteeism rate than Blackburn Middle School (57.6%). However, it lags behind more affluent suburban schools in the Rankin County School District, such as Brandon Middle School, which have lower poverty rates and higher test scores. Pearl Junior High is a solid school in a challenging environment, but its declining state ranking and rising absenteeism are key areas of concern for parents to watch.

944

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,812

Per pupil spending ?

70.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Mary Ann Drive
Pearl, MS 39208

(601) 932-7952

District: Pearl Public Schools

Students who attend Pearl Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Pearl High School

Feeder schools for Pearl Junior High School:

Elementary:	Northside Elementary
	Pearl Lower Elementary
	Pearl Upper School

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.2%

African American:

40.4%

Hispanic:

12.1%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Pearl Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Mississippi median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg50%

Mississippi avg50%

115^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 130Pearl Public Schools among Mississippi districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	115 of 266	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	130 of 264	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	106 of 243	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.3	104 of 257	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	71.5	69 of 257	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	72.0	66 of 264	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	72 of 252	71.4%	★★★★☆
2017	77.2	51 of 272	81.3%	★★★★☆
2016	75.1	57 of 260	78.1%	★★★★☆
2015	65.8	72 of 266	72.9%	★★★★☆
2014	61.0	99 of 264	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.7	77 of 269	71.4%	★★★★☆
2012	73.7	64 of 270	76.3%	★★★★☆
2011	70.2	69 of 264	73.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I98%+30 vs state

Mathematics54%~ state avg

Science50%-4 vs state

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pearl Junior High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)					MAAP Mathematics (2025)					MAAP Algebra I (2025)	MAAP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	Total
Pearl Junior High School	Public	6-8	200 Mary Ann Drive	Pearl	39208	Rankin County	Pearl Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 932-7952	944	72	13.0	70.9%	408 (43.2%)	381 (40.4%)	114 (12.1%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.3%)	57.7	115^th of 266 public middle schools	56.8%		50.5	130^th of 264 public middle schools	50.8%	15			39.5	39.6	47.6			52.5	49.5	58.9	97.7		50.3	$9,812
Blackburn Middle School	Public	6-8	1311 W Pearl St	Jackson	39203	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 960-5329	317	43	7.3	99.7%	2 (0.6%)	310 (97.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	4.6	260^th of 266 public middle schools	2.3%		4.1	261^st of 264 public middle schools	1.1%	1			12.2	12.0	12.1			15.0	15.4	8.3			15.1	$16,571
Smilow Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	787 E Northside Dr.	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Joel E. Smilow Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(769) 524-5330	521	26	20.0	99.8%	1 (0.2%)	515 (98.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	16.5	228^th of 266 public middle schools	14.3%		24.8	197^th of 264 public middle schools	25.4%	31		37.8	27.1	19.4	22.9		26.4	30.8	17.9	28.9		60.5	34.3	$12,327
Midtown Public Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4795 Interstate 55 North Front	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Midtown Public Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(601) 354-7770	420	31	13.5	100.0%	2 (0.5%)	402 (95.7%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	16.7	226^th of 266 public middle schools	15.0%		14.5	237^th of 264 public middle schools	10.2%	11	50.0	42.4	13.7	13.7	19.0	40.0	33.9	25.5	42.4	19.0		35.6	41.9	$12,067
Reimagine Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	309 W. McDowell Rd.	Jackson	39204	Hinds County	Reimagine Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(601) 941-0844	457	21	21.7	100.0%	5 (1.1%)	443 (96.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	9.8	248^th of 266 public middle schools	6.8%		23.9	203^rd of 264 public middle schools	23.1%	45		34.8	23.1	13.1	23.4		4.4	8.5	20.5	13.8		30.4	30.1	$12,878
Brandon Middle School	Public	6-8	408 College Street	Brandon	39042	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 825-5998	1,155	91	12.7	37.5%	656 (56.8%)	386 (33.4%)	44 (3.8%)	9 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	58 (5.0%)	89.6	13^th of 266 public middle schools	95.1%		89.9	18^th of 264 public middle schools	93.2%	5			61.7	57.4	58.8			75.9	84.1	66.9	100.0		70.7	$11,756
Peeples Middle School	Public	6-8	2940 Belvedere Drive	Jackson	39212	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 346-5660	541	47	11.6	100.0%	5 (0.9%)	450 (83.2%)	76 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	3.1	262^nd of 266 public middle schools	1.5%		2.4	264^th of 264 public middle schools	0.0%	2			16.2	7.9	8.9			11.3	7.4	4.4			11.6	$16,248
Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	3655 Livingston Road	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-3580	704	56	12.5	99.6%	6 (0.9%)	685 (97.3%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4.9	259^th of 266 public middle schools	2.6%		3.6	262^nd of 264 public middle schools	0.8%	3			16.8	10.9	15.4			13.6	9.6	5.4			20.3	$16,140
Kirksey Middle School	Public	6-8	5677 Highland Drive	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-8360	389	30	12.7	100.0%	8 (2.1%)	340 (87.4%)	33 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	15.6	233^rd of 266 public middle schools	12.4%		27.2	190^th of 264 public middle schools	28.0%	43			19.7	17.7	22.0			28.6	22.0	28.9	96.3		37.2	$17,184
Northwest Middle School	Public	6-8	5805 Hwy 25	Flowood	39232	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 992-1329	1,352	110	12.2	38.2%	705 (52.1%)	444 (32.8%)	71 (5.3%)	46 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (6.4%)	83.7	29^th of 266 public middle schools	89.1%		83.4	35^th of 264 public middle schools	86.7%	6			61.1	50.7	58.2			69.9	67.8	59.3	100.0		69.6	$11,126

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl Junior High School

What high school do graduates of Pearl Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Pearl Junior High School usually go on to attend Pearl High School

What district is Pearl Junior High School in?

Pearl Public Schools

How many students attend Pearl Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 944 students attended Pearl Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Pearl Junior High School?

Students at Pearl Junior High School are 43% White, 40% African American, 12% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Is Pearl Junior High School a good school?

Pearl Junior High School ranks 115^th of 266 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Pearl Junior High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.