Best Middle Schools in Carthage, MS

Carthage, Mississippi, is served by a single middle school, Leake Central Junior High School, which enrolls students in grades 6 through 8 within the Leake County School District. The school serves 383 students, and every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a high-poverty community. Despite these challenges, the school posts a chronic absenteeism rate of 20.4%, which is better than both the district (23.8%) and state (23.9%) averages, suggesting that attendance is a relative strength.

Academically, Leake Central Junior High shows a mixed picture. The standout achievement is in Algebra I, where 100% of tested 8th graders scored proficient in 2024–2025, far exceeding the district’s 60.8% and the state’s 67.3%. However, this likely reflects a small, selective group of students. In regular math, 7th graders performed best in 2025–2026, with 47.1% proficient compared to the district’s 44.3%, though still below the state’s 57.7%. Sixth-grade math lags significantly at 27.2% versus the state’s 52.7%. English Language Arts is an area of concern across all grades, with proficiency rates roughly 10 to 17 points below state averages—for example, only 27.0% of 6th graders and 23.3% of 8th graders were proficient in 2025–2026. Science in 8th grade improved slightly to 40.8%, still below the state’s 57.8%.

The school’s statewide ranking has slipped over three years, from the 30th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 20th percentile in 2025–2026, leaving it ranked 209 out of 260 Mississippi middle schools with a 1-star rating. While local strengths like Algebra I, 7th-grade math, and attendance stand out, the persistent gaps in literacy and early middle-school math suggest that targeted support in foundational skills is needed. For parents, this school offers a supportive environment with strong attendance, but academic performance compared to state averages remains a concern, especially in reading and 6th-grade math.