Summary:
Lawrence County School District is home to just one middle school, Rod Paige Middle School in Monticello, Mississippi, serving grades 6 through 8 with 191 students. This small school has maintained a consistent 3-star state rating for three straight years, ranking in the 64th to 68th percentile among Mississippi middle schools — notably better than the district's overall 2-star, 46th-percentile position.
Rod Paige stands out for its strong 8th grade performance. In 2025-2026, 8th grade math proficiency reached 66.7% and 8th grade science hit 72.1%, both well above district and state averages. The school also posted an exceptional 79.4% proficiency rate in 7th grade math in 2024-2025, its highest subject-grade score in the data. With a student-teacher ratio of 9.8 and 82.2% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, the school serves a high-need population while still outperforming many of its peers. However, chronic absenteeism is a concern: 35.1% of students are chronically absent, higher than the district rate of 30.4% and the state rate of 23.9%.
The most striking pattern is the uneven math performance. In 2025-2026, 6th grade math proficiency plunged to just 26.4% — 26 points below the state — while 8th grade math soared to 66.7%, creating a 40-point gap within the same school year. That 6th grade score also represents a 29-point drop from the previous year's 55.5%, a red flag worth investigating. English Language Arts results are mixed: 6th grade ELA lags behind district and state, but 7th and 8th grade ELA beat both in 2025-2026. Science is a clear strength, with Rod Paige outperforming the state by nearly 10 points in 8th grade science in both years. Overall, this is a school that demonstrates strong late-middle-school growth in math and science, but the high absenteeism and 6th grade math decline are important areas for parents to watch.
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