Middle Schools in North Pike Schools

North Pike Schools is home to two middle-level campuses serving 667 students in grades 5 through 8: North Pike Junior High (grades 7–8, 350 students) and North Pike Upper Elementary School (grades 5–6, 317 students). The district is rated 3 stars and ranks 49th out of 134 districts in Mississippi, placing it in the top 37% statewide. Both campuses serve a similar high-poverty student population, with 69.1% of junior high students and 71.6% of upper elementary students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and both maintain low student-teacher ratios around 13:1.

North Pike Upper Elementary School stands out as the stronger overall academic performer. It exceeded state averages in 4 of 5 tested grade/subject combinations in 2025–2026, with 5th grade math proficiency of 63.8% — a remarkable 14.2-point advantage over the state average of 49.6%. North Pike Junior High, meanwhile, showed the most dramatic year-over-year improvement, jumping from a 2-star to a 3-star rating and moving from the 41st to the 62nd percentile statewide. Much of that improvement was driven by exceptional 8th grade gains: math proficiency surged 24.0 points to 58.7%, and science surged 24.4 points to 60.2%. In the latest year, 8th graders at the junior high outperformed the state in ELA, math, and science.

However, the data reveals a clear "7th grade dip." Sixth grade ELA proficiency is 52.9%, but 7th grade ELA falls to 31.5% — a 21.4-point drop — and math drops from 57.1% to 48.8%. While 8th grade students show strong recovery, 7th grade scores actually declined in both ELA and math. Chronic absenteeism may be a contributing factor: North Pike Junior High has a 25.9% rate, higher than both the district (22.9%) and state (23.9%), while North Pike Upper Elementary School is below both at 18.6%. Given that roughly 7 in 10 students qualify for free/reduced lunch, both schools are outperforming expectations, suggesting strong instructional programs — particularly in math and science — across the district.