Middle Schools in Franklin County School District

Franklin County School District in Mississippi has two middle-level schools—Franklin Upper Elementary (grades 4–6) and Franklin Middle School (grades 7–8)—serving a combined 391 students in a high-poverty area where the district ranks 37th percentile statewide. Both schools have roughly 80–82% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and the district as a whole holds a 2-star rating. Despite these challenges, each school shows distinctive strengths: Franklin Upper Elementary stands out for lower chronic absenteeism (16.5% vs. the state's 23.9%) and a strong 5th grade ELA result (58.6% proficient, above the state average), while Franklin Middle School posted an excellent 8th grade science score (61.4%, 6.7 points above the state) and its best-ever district ranking in 2024–25, reaching the 47th percentile.

Math is the clearest area of concern across both schools. In 2024–25, proficiency in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math trailed state averages by 11 to 21 points—for example, 5th grade math at Franklin Upper Elementary was just 27.1% vs. 48.3% statewide, and 7th grade math at Franklin Middle School was 36.4% vs. 55.5%. The only near-average result was 4th grade math at Upper Elementary (54.3% vs. 56.6%). Bright spots exist outside of math: besides 5th grade ELA and 8th grade science, the same cohorts performed well in science and reading, suggesting that gaps are not universal. Chronic absenteeism also divides the schools—Upper Elementary's rate is 16.5%, well below both the district (21.4%) and Franklin Middle School (22.9%), which may help explain why younger students generally outperform their older counterparts.

Franklin Middle School's performance is volatile across years. After moving from the 35th to 47th percentile between 2023–24 and 2024–25, it slipped back to the 35th percentile in 2025–26, with 7th and 8th grade ELA and science all dropping by 6 to 13 points. Interestingly, 7th grade math rose from 36.4% to 47.3% in that same period. The 5th grade cohort at Upper Elementary appears especially strong, with ELA and science near or above state averages, even while 5th grade math lags—pointing to a possible instructional issue in upper-elementary math rather than a student-wide deficit. Meanwhile, Franklin Middle School enjoys a better student-teacher ratio (10.6:1) than Upper Elementary (13.0:1), yet its outcomes do not clearly reflect that advantage, indicating that poverty and attendance may matter more than staffing alone. Overall, these two schools mirror the district's bottom-half ranking, but targeted successes show that higher performance is achievable.