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Smilow Prep

Public, Charter Grades 5-8

254^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 3% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Smilow Prep is a middle school in Jackson, MS, serving 521 students in grades 5 through 8 as a single-school district, the Joel E. Smilow Prep district, which currently ranks in the bottom 3% of Mississippi districts. The school serves an almost entirely low-income population, with 99.81% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-2025. Academically, Smilow Prep is struggling significantly. In the most recent test data, proficiency rates are far below state averages in English Language Arts, mathematics, and science across every grade level.

The academic numbers are sobering. In 7th grade math, only 14.5% of Smilow students are proficient versus 57.7% statewide — a 43-point gap. Eighth grade math has fallen sharply from 57.3% proficiency in 2023-2024 to just 19.6% in 2025-2026. The school's state ranking has also slipped from the 29th percentile in 2021-2022 to the 3rd percentile today. At the same time, the student-teacher ratio has grown from 14.4 to 20.0 over three years — roughly double the class-size load at nearby schools like Northwest Middle School and Bailey APAC Middle School. Chronic absenteeism has risen from 10.8% to 26.0% since 2018-2019.

One striking pattern is that 5th graders start ahead and lose ground. Fifth grade ELA proficiency is 40.8%, but by 7th grade it drops to 15.5%. While Smilow Prep is surrounded by struggling schools — Powell Middle School, Peeples Middle School, and Blackburn Middle School all rank lower — it sits just miles from high-performing schools like Northwest Middle and Bailey APAC that serve similar poverty rates yet post much stronger results. Notably, Smilow Prep reports no Algebra I results, suggesting 8th graders may not have access to advanced math coursework that nearby schools offer. The data suggests the challenges are real but not inevitable.

521

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,327

Per pupil spending ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

787 E Northside Dr.
Jackson, MS 39206

(769) 524-5330

District: Joel E. Smilow Prep

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.8%

Two or more races:

0.6%

Hispanic:

0.4%

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Compare Smilow Prep to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2019 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (25% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg25%

Mississippi avg52%

254^th of 263

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 19 pts since 2019

From bottom 23% (2019) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

131^st of 133Joel E. Smilow Prep among Mississippi districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Mississippi percentile	Rating
2026	7.5	254 of 263	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.5	228 of 266	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	197 of 264	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	208 of 243	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	182 of 257	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	11.5	233 of 257	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	204 of 264	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science32%-33 vs state

English Language Arts25%-20 vs state

Mathematics20%-33 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Excellent leadership and values that every teaching institution should embrace.
I can't say enough about the culture and the school spirit. I will sum this up with two words "They Care". Close Quote

Schools Near Smilow Prep

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MAAP English Language Arts (2026)					MAAP Mathematics (2026)					MAAP Algebra I (2026)	MAAP Science (2026)		MAAP Biology (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Smilow Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	787 E Northside Dr.	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Joel E. Smilow Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(769) 524-5330	521	26	20.0	99.8%	1 (0.2%)	515 (98.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	7.5	254^th of 263 public middle schools	3.4%		16.5	228^th of 266 public middle schools	14.3%	26		40.8	28.7	15.5	18.1		23.6	23.8	14.5	19.6		40.3	23.0		$12,327
Kirksey Middle School	Public	6-8	5677 Highland Drive	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(769) 228-0028	389	30	12.7	100.0%	8 (2.1%)	340 (87.4%)	33 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	6.1	256^th of 263 public middle schools	2.7%		15.6	233^rd of 266 public middle schools	12.4%	23			17.5	11.7	21.7			23.0	23.7	9.3	85.7		24.7		$17,184
Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	3655 Livingston Road	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(769) 228-0042	704	56	12.5	99.6%	6 (0.9%)	685 (97.3%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2	262^nd of 263 public middle schools	0.4%		4.9	259^th of 266 public middle schools	2.6%	3			13.9	9.1	8.4			11.1	11.7	7.8			17.5		$16,140
Blackburn Middle School	Public	6-8	1311 West Pearl Street	Jackson	39203	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 960-5329	317	43	7.3	99.7%	2 (0.6%)	310 (97.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	4	260^th of 263 public middle schools	1.1%		4.6	260^th of 266 public middle schools	2.3%				15.1	9.7	18.5			11.0	16.6	15.6	91.6		21.9		$16,571
Old Town Middle School	Public	6-8	210 Sunnybrook Road	Ridgeland	39157	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 898-8730	693	58	11.8	75.6%	53 (7.6%)	435 (62.8%)	169 (24.4%)	25 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.6%)	65.3	81^st of 263 public middle schools	69.2%					(n/a)			51.0	40.7	46.2			45.0	61.2	61.2	100.0		58.8	100.0	$13,231
Northwest Middle School	Public	6-8	7020 Highway 49 North	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-3609	242	23	10.3	100.0%	2 (0.8%)	231 (95.5%)	8 (3.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	85.3	31^st of 263 public middle schools	88.2%		83.7	28^th of 266 public middle schools	89.5%	3			66.3	46.4	78.9			59.0	66.6	64.8	96.2		87.3		$19,264
Bailey APAC Middle School	Public	4-8	1900 North State Street	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(769) 320-1887	318	28	11.4	99.1%	23 (7.2%)	288 (90.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	83.7	34^th of 263 public middle schools	87.1%		86.5	22^nd of 266 public middle schools	91.7%	12	70.6	85.7	58.7	49.6	62.8	47.1	53.6	64.8	76.6	68.6	95.3	96.4	59.8		$15,604
Pearl Junior High School	Public	6-8	200 Mary Ann Drive	Pearl	39208	Rankin County	Pearl Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 932-7952	944	72	13.0	70.9%	408 (43.2%)	381 (40.4%)	114 (12.1%)	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.3%)	56.7	104^th of 263 public middle schools	60.5%		57.7	115^th of 266 public middle schools	56.8%	11			52.1	34.3	41.3			60.5	47.8	49.8	97.8		54.8		$9,812
Reimagine Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	309 W. McDowell Rd.	Jackson	39204	Hinds County	Reimagine Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(601) 941-0844	457	21	21.7	100.0%	5 (1.1%)	443 (96.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	14.3	243^rd of 263 public middle schools	7.6%		9.8	248^th of 266 public middle schools	6.8%	5		45.2	24.7	27.9	23.1		32.3	13.7	30.6	26.1		53.4	36.2		$12,878
Peeples Middle School	Public	6-8	2940 Belvedere Drive	Jackson	39212	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 346-5660	541	47	11.6	100.0%	5 (0.9%)	450 (83.2%)	76 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	1.9	263^rd of 263 public middle schools	0.0%		3.1	262^nd of 266 public middle schools	1.5%	1			10.3	9.3	11.8			7.1	12.9	5.9			17.5		$16,248

Frequently Asked Questions about Smilow Prep

What is the racial makeup of Smilow Prep?

Students at Smilow Prep are 99% African American.

What district is Smilow Prep in?

Joel E. Smilow Prep

Is Smilow Prep a good school?

Smilow Prep ranks in the bottom 3.4% of Mississippi middle schools.

How many students attend Smilow Prep?

In the 2024-25 school year, 521 students attended Smilow Prep.

Rate Smilow Prep!

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.