Summary:
The Copiah County School District has one middle school, Crystal Springs Middle School, which serves grades 5–8 in Crystal Springs, MS, with 365 students and 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility. Because it is the only middle school in the district, all comparisons are between the school, the district, and the state.
Crystal Springs Middle School showed a remarkable one-year improvement in math, with average proficiency jumping from 25.4% to 41.2%. The most dramatic gain was in 7th grade, where math proficiency soared from 13.4% to 47.3%, and 5th grade math also rose from 22.8% to 45.0%. However, 8th grade science collapsed from 50.6% to 31.3%, and 8th grade ELA fell from 35.2% to 23.2%. This mixed picture leaves the school ranked 212th out of 260 Mississippi middle schools (18th percentile, 1 star), with chronic absenteeism at 26.4% — higher than both the district’s 22.7% and the state’s 23.9%. The school has remained in the bottom quintile statewide for the past three years, despite some subject-level progress.
The district itself ranks above average (56th of 134, 3 stars), but its only middle school is a clear weak point. The school’s low ranking comes despite a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.8, suggesting that high poverty and chronic absenteeism are major barriers. Every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, and roughly one in four is chronically absent. The bright spot is math, especially in 7th grade, but 8th grade ELA and science need urgent attention. Parents should know that this school is working to improve, but the transition into 8th grade appears especially challenging, and reducing absenteeism should be a top priority for helping students succeed.
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