Middle Schools in Perry County School District

Perry County School District in Mississippi is served by a single middle school, Perry Central Middle School, which enrolls students in grades 6 through 8 in the town of New Augusta. Because this is the district's only middle school, district-level figures match the school's numbers exactly, so the most meaningful comparisons are against statewide averages and the school's own past performance.

Perry Central Middle School is a small, high-need school with 178 students and a student-teacher ratio of 11.2, giving students relatively small class settings. About 82% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school has earned a 3-star rating and outperformed the state in several areas. Its strongest results are in 7th grade mathematics, where 71.2% of students are proficient compared to the state average of 57.7%, and in 8th grade science, with 67.3% proficiency versus the state's 57.8%. Chronic absenteeism is also better than average at 20.1%, compared to 22.9% for the district and 23.9% for the state. In contrast, English language arts is a concern: 6th grade proficiency is 37.5% (state 48.0%), 8th grade is 32.7% (state 40.9%), and 7th grade is just 38.4% versus the state's 36.7%. Math performance is uneven by grade, with 6th grade at 43.7% (state 52.7%) and 8th grade at 48.1% (state 51.4%), while 7th grade math is a clear highlight.

Looking at the school's trajectory, Perry Central Middle School improved dramatically from the 33rd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 66th percentile in 2024–2025, then settled at the 57th percentile in 2025–2026. This indicates sustained overall progress rather than a one-time jump. The school's science performance has remained consistently strong across two years, with 8th grade science proficiency above 66% both years. Given the favorable student-teacher ratio, lower-than-average absenteeism, and a 3-star state rating despite high economic need, the school shows promising structural foundations. The main opportunity for growth is literacy, particularly in 6th and 8th grades, where targeted intervention could help close the gap with state averages.