Amite County Middle School

Amite County Middle School is a small, rural school in Liberty, Mississippi, serving 144 students in grades 7–8 as part of the Amite County School District. The school serves a 100% free/reduced-price lunch population, reflecting the high poverty levels common to the surrounding communities.

Despite these challenges, Amite County Middle School outperforms its nearby peers in most subjects, particularly math and science. In 2024–2025, 42.4% of 7th graders and 32.3% of 8th graders scored proficient in math, beating both South Pike Junior High and William Winans Middle School. Eighth-grade science proficiency reached 38.7%, also ahead of neighboring schools. In 2023–2024, the school's 7th-grade math proficiency hit 69.6%, well above the state average of 57.2%. The school also boasts an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 8.8, compared with 15.1 at South Pike and 10.6 at William Winans, which may help explain its academic edge.

The school's biggest challenge is chronic absenteeism, which rose to 29.8% in 2023–2024—well above the state average of 23.9% and more than double the 14.1% rate at William Winans Middle School. Amite County Middle School currently ranks 181st out of 260 Mississippi middle schools, but that is still stronger than South Pike Junior High (225th) and William Winans (249th). Looking at the bigger picture, the Amite County School District ranks in the middle of the state, while the Wilkinson County School District ranks last. With its low student-teacher ratio and a track record of strong math results, reducing absenteeism could be the key to even better outcomes for this school.