Summary:
Utica, Mississippi has just one school: Utica Elementary Mid School, a PK–8 campus serving 304 students in the Hinds County School District. The school operates in a high-poverty setting where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet it maintains a low student–teacher ratio of 12.6. Over the past three years, its state ranking has dropped sharply, from the 44th percentile in 2023–24 to the 5th percentile in 2025–26 — a collapse that mirrors broad declines in test scores across nearly every grade and subject.
In 2025–26, proficiency rates fell well below district and state averages in most areas. Math, once a relative strength, became a major concern: the school's average math proficiency dropped from 52.7% (near the state average) to 33.1%, with 3rd grade math plunging from 43.8% to just 12.9% proficient. Middle school math had been a bright spot in 2024–25, with 7th grade beating the state by 21 points, but those gains faded the following year. English language arts is persistently weak at every grade, with 5th and 6th grade gaps of over 25 points compared to the state. Science has also collapsed: 5th grade science fell to 27.2% proficiency (a 44-point gap), and 8th grade science dropped from 68.7% to 45.4%. The only 2025–26 result above the state average was 8th grade math.
There are some positives. Chronic absenteeism in 2023–24 was 20.6%, slightly better than both the district (23.5%) and state (23.9%), despite the high poverty level. With small grade-level cohorts, year-to-year swings can be volatile, but the consistent pattern of decline suggests systemic challenges. For parents, this school needs close attention and likely targeted support in early-grade math, elementary reading, and science instruction to reverse its downward trajectory.
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