Summary:
Columbia School District in Mississippi is home to one middle school, Jefferson Middle School, serving grades 6–8 with an enrollment of 329 students in the small town of Columbia. Because this is the district’s only middle school, its results mirror the district’s middle school figures exactly, so the best way to understand how the school is doing is to compare it against state averages. The district itself earns a strong 4-star rating, ranking 31 out of 134 districts in Mississippi, but Jefferson Middle School’s own state rank sits near the middle among 260 middle schools, with its star rating dropping from 3 to 2 in the most recent year.
Academically, performance is a mixed picture. In the latest 2025–2026 test results, 7th grade ELA was slightly above the state average (37.4% vs. 36.7% proficient), and 8th grade science came close to the state average (55.0% vs. 57.8%). However, math proficiency trails the state in every grade, with gaps ranging from 6.4 to 8.1 points below state averages. The school also saw a concerning drop in 6th grade ELA proficiency, falling from 45.2% to 37.4% while the state improved slightly. On a brighter note, 8th grade math improved dramatically from 32.8% to 45.0% in one year, and 8th grade science also climbed from 49.6% to 55.0%, suggesting possible targeted interventions in that grade.
The biggest warning sign for Jefferson Middle School is chronic absenteeism: 42.0% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, nearly double the state and district rates of about 24%. With 72% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, which often compounds attendance and academic challenges. While the school shows some bright spots—especially in 8th grade math and science and competitive 7th grade ELA—the combination of very high absenteeism, below-average math performance, and a declining 6th grade ELA trend should be top priorities for parents and school leaders to address.
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