Summary:
The city of Moss Point, Mississippi is served by two public middle schools — East Central Middle School and Magnolia Middle School — both covering grades 6 through 8, and together they paint a picture of two very different educational experiences within the same city.
East Central Middle School is the standout high performer in this pair. It ranks 12th out of 260 Mississippi middle schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 95th percentile, and has earned a 5-star rating. Its state rank has improved three years in a row, from 21st in 2023–2024 to 17th in 2024–2025 and now 12th. The school exceeds state averages in every subject and grade for both reported school years. Its home district, Jackson County School District, ranks 2nd out of 134 districts in Mississippi. East Central's overall average proficiency is 68.4%, with especially strong results in 8th grade science (80.3%) and math (75.8% average). Its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.7% is actually below the state average of 23.9%, and just over half of its students (53%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Magnolia Middle School, part of the Moss Point School District (ranked 88th of 134 districts), faces substantially greater challenges. It ranks 186th out of 260 schools (28th percentile) and earned a 1-star rating. Magnolia has 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility and a chronic absenteeism rate of 38.3%, about 1.6 times the state average. Its overall proficiency is 37.4%, roughly 31 points behind East Central, and it trails state averages in every subject. Still, there are signs of progress: 7th grade math improved by 11.3 points to 56.2%, 8th grade math jumped 13.5 points to 38.9%, and the school's overall proficiency rose from 32.8% to 37.4% year over year. Both schools share one pattern: they are stronger in math and science than in English Language Arts.
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