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Nichols Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 266 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 18% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Nichols Middle School is a public middle school in Canton, Mississippi, serving 388 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Canton Public School District, which is ranked 82 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nichols Middle School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.4% to 37.4% over the past few years, which is much higher than the state and district averages. The school's academic performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better on the MAAP tests, is also consistently lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranged from 19.1% to 26.4%, compared to the state averages of 37.3% to 46.7%. Nichols Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Mississippi middle schools, with a ranking as low as 249 out of 264 schools in the 2018-2019 school year.

When comparing Nichols Middle School to other nearby schools, such as Huey L. Porter Middle School (also in the Canton Public School District) and schools in the Madison County School District, the performance gap becomes even more apparent. These nearby schools consistently outperform Nichols Middle School on academic measures, with higher proficiency rates and better school rankings. The high chronic absenteeism rates and the school's 100% free and reduced lunch rate, indicating that all students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, likely contribute to the school's poor academic performance.

362

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,831

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

529 North Mace Street
Canton, MS 39046

(601) 859-3741

District: Canton Public Schools

Students who attend Nichols Middle School usually attend:

High:

Canton High School

Feeder schools for Nichols Middle School:

Elementary:	Canton Elementary School
	Jimmie M Goodloe Elementary
	McNeal Elementary School
	Reuben B. Myers Arts & Sciences

Racial breakdown:

African American:

78.7%

Hispanic:

17.1%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Nichols Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 42nd percentile in 2022 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (27% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 24% Mississippi)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg37%

Mississippi avg48%

219^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Canton Public Schools

82^nd of 130Canton Public Schools 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
2025	17.6	219 of 266	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	243 of 264	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	205 of 243	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.2	149 of 257	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.3	223 of 257	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	249 of 264	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.8	235 of 252	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.8	234 of 272	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.6	237 of 260	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.0	239 of 266	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.5	188 of 264	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.8	195 of 269	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.5	178 of 270	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.7	172 of 264	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	15.2	230 of 255	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.2	215 of 247	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	5.8	244 of 244	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Science38%-17 vs state

Mathematics26%-26 vs state

English Language Arts23%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nichols Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MAAP English Language Arts (2025)					MAAP Mathematics (2025)					MAAP Algebra I (2025)	MAAP Science (2025)		MAAP Biology (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Nichols Middle School	Public	6-8	529 North Mace Street	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 859-3741	362	28	12.9	100.0%	2 (0.6%)	285 (78.7%)	62 (17.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	17.6	219^th of 266 public middle schools	17.7%		12	243^rd of 264 public middle schools	8.0%	24			26.4	19.1	25.6			36.3	23.7	20.2			38.1		$11,831
Huey L Porter Middle	Public	6-8	551 Finney Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 407-1820	356	27	13.0	100.0%	1 (0.3%)	255 (71.6%)	65 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.8%)	59.7	110^th of 266 public middle schools	58.6%		35.5	169^th of 264 public middle schools	36.0%	59			50.0	32.8	48.7			63.6	56.3	46.1			49.5		$12,435
Germantown Middle	Public	6-8	439 Calhoun Station Parkway	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 859-0376	1,008	71	14.1	28.6%	533 (52.9%)	389 (38.6%)	27 (2.7%)	45 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.3%)	91.6	10^th of 266 public middle schools	96.2%		88.1	25^th of 264 public middle schools	90.5%	15			67.2	59.7	63.0			72.2	76.9	71.9	100.0		77.3	96.6	$10,272
Madison Middle School	Public	6-8	1365 Mannsdale Road	Madison	39110	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	No	(601) 605-4171	1,180	96	12.2	25.2%	739 (62.6%)	292 (24.7%)	34 (2.9%)	100 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.3%)	97.9	1^st of 266 public middle schools	99.6%		97.4	1^st of 264 public middle schools	99.6%				78.9	72.3	76.2			87.2	87.3	88.8	100.0		87.4	99.1	$12,017
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%)								(n/a)															$13,231
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	820 Sulphur Springs Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 855-2406	124	19	6.3	94.4%	0 (0.0%)	121 (97.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	56.7	118^th of 266 public middle schools	55.6%		66.5	82^nd of 264 public middle schools	68.9%	36			35.5	34.7	43.2			54.9	53.0	40.5	100.0		75.7		$21,745
Kirksey Middle School	Public	6-8	5677 Highland Drive	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-8360	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%)	15.6	233^rd of 266 public middle schools	12.4%		27.2	190^th of 264 public middle schools	28.0%	43			19.7	17.7	22.0			28.6	22.0	28.9	96.3		37.2		$17,184
Northwest Middle School	Public	6-8	5805 Hwy 25	Flowood	39232	Rankin County	Rankin County School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 992-1329	1,352	110	12.2	38.2%	705 (52.1%)	444 (32.8%)	71 (5.3%)	46 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (6.4%)	83.7	29^th of 266 public middle schools	89.1%		83.4	35^th of 264 public middle schools	86.7%	6			61.1	50.7	58.2			69.9	67.8	59.3	100.0		69.6		$11,126
Midtown Public Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4795 Interstate 55 North Front	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Midtown Public Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(601) 354-7770	420	31	13.5	100.0%	2 (0.5%)	402 (95.7%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	16.7	226^th of 266 public middle schools	15.0%		14.5	237^th of 264 public middle schools	10.2%	11	50.0	42.4	13.7	13.7	19.0	40.0	33.9	25.5	42.4	19.0		35.6	41.9		$12,067
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%)	16.5	228^th of 266 public middle schools	14.3%		24.8	197^th of 264 public middle schools	25.4%	31		37.8	27.1	19.4	22.9		26.4	30.8	17.9	28.9		60.5	34.3		$12,327

Frequently Asked Questions about Nichols Middle School

How many students attend Nichols Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Nichols Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Nichols Middle School?

Students at Nichols Middle School are 79% African American, 17% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Nichols Middle School attend?

Students who attend Nichols Middle School usually go on to attend Canton High School

Is Nichols Middle School a good school?

Nichols Middle School ranks in the bottom 17.7% of Mississippi middle schools.

What district is Nichols Middle School in?

Canton Public Schools

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Schools in Canton, MS

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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.