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Desoto Central Middle School

Q: Is Desoto Central Middle School a good school?

Desoto Central Middle School ranks 27 th of 266 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

27^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 266 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 90% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Desoto Central Middle School is a high-performing public middle school in Southaven, Mississippi, serving 1,407 students in grades 6-8 and part of the Desoto County School District, which is ranked 34 out of 130 school districts in the state.

Desoto Central Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Mississippi, with a statewide ranking between 7th and 27th over the past 10 years and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly higher than the Desoto County School District and the state of Mississippi averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 8th-grade proficiency rates were 62.2% in ELA, 73.2% in Math, and 68.9% in Science, compared to the district's 47%, 57.2%, and 58.3%, respectively, and the state's 41.7%, 47.5%, and 54.7%. While the school's chronic absenteeism rate has fluctuated between 18% and 28.5% over the past few years, it has managed to maintain its academic excellence.

Desoto Central Middle School outperforms most of the nearby middle schools in the Desoto County School District, including Lake Cormorant Middle, Lewisburg Middle, Center Hill Middle, Hernando Middle School, and Southaven Middle School, in terms of academic performance, test scores, and statewide rankings. The school's consistent high performance over the past 10 years is a testament to its commitment to academic excellence and the effectiveness of its educational practices.

1,388

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,390

Per pupil spending ?

41.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2611 Central Parkway
Southaven, MS 38672

(662) 349-6660

District: Desoto County School District

Students who attend Desoto Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Desoto Central High School

Feeder schools for Desoto Central Middle School:

Elementary:	DeSoto Central Elementary
	DeSoto Central Primary School
	Pleasant Hill Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

47.9%

White:

31.1%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Desoto Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 100th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (64% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Mississippi middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg54%

Mississippi avg48%

27^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 1% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8Middle Schools in the Desoto County School District

34^th of 130Desoto County School District 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	83.8	27 of 266	89.8%	★★★★★
2024	89.2	22 of 264	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	90.7	14 of 243	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.1	15 of 257	94.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.5	13 of 257	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	91.9	8 of 264	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.3	7 of 252	97.2%	★★★★★
2017	97.3	1 of 272	99.6%	★★★★★
2016	98.2	1 of 260	99.6%	★★★★★
2015	99.5	1 of 266	99.6%	★★★★★
2014	94.0	2 of 264	99.2%	★★★★★
2013	95.3	3 of 269	98.9%	★★★★★
2012	90.0	19 of 270	93.0%	★★★★★
2011	84.5	24 of 264	90.9%	★★★★★
2010	87.8	19 of 255	92.5%	★★★★★
2009	91.7	9 of 247	96.4%	★★★★★
2008	93.7	5 of 244	98.0%	★★★★★

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics73%+21 vs state

Science69%+14 vs state

English Language Arts54%+12 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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1★0

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Schools Near Desoto Central 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)		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 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th 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	Total
Desoto Central Middle School	Public	6-8	2611 Central Parkway	Southaven	38672	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 349-6660	1,388	79	17.5	41.9%	432 (31.1%)	665 (47.9%)	122 (8.8%)	59 (4.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	106 (7.6%)	83.8	27^th of 266 public middle schools	89.8%		89.2	22^nd of 264 public middle schools	91.7%	5		51.3	47.4	62.2		64.7	80.2	73.2			68.9	$8,390
Southaven Middle School	Public	6-8	899 Rasco Road	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 280-0422	1,423	89	15.9	64.5%	216 (15.2%)	873 (61.3%)	239 (16.8%)	15 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	77 (5.4%)	28.6	192^nd of 266 public middle schools	27.8%		22.4	206^th of 264 public middle schools	22.0%	14		36.2	17.0	31.4		33.1	42.5	28.9			46.9	$8,677
Horn Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	6125 Hurt Road	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-7443	948	65	14.6	71.0%	102 (10.8%)	692 (73.0%)	109 (11.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (4.2%)	30.7	183^rd of 266 public middle schools	31.2%		31	182^nd of 264 public middle schools	31.1%	1		34.8	25.1	25.8		40.5	42.9	36.9	100.0		41.7	$10,409
Olive Branch Middle School	Public	6-8	6530 S. Blocker Street	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 895-4610	744	44	16.7	62.6%	214 (28.8%)	391 (52.6%)	94 (12.6%)	12 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.4%)	45.7	146^th of 266 public middle schools	45.1%		56.7	113^th of 264 public middle schools	57.2%	33		41.9	29.2	36.5		46.6	53.0	45.0			45.9	$10,305
Hernando Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Dilworth Lane	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 429-4154	1,183	69	17.1	27.0%	872 (73.7%)	129 (10.9%)	115 (9.7%)	10 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (4.7%)	92.7	7^th of 266 public middle schools	97.4%		93.8	7^th of 264 public middle schools	97.3%			61.0	61.3	67.0		76.9	82.1	78.2			76.2	$8,420
Lewisburg Middle School	Public	6-8	2605 Highway 305 S	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 892-5050	996	59	16.8	21.8%	753 (75.6%)	114 (11.4%)	64 (6.4%)	17 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (4.7%)	93.2	5^th of 266 public middle schools	98.1%		95.8	4^th of 264 public middle schools	98.5%	1		69.4	60.1	61.3		81.1	90.3	77.6	100.0		70.8	$8,733
Center Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	8756 Forest Hill Irene	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 892-6800	757	46	16.4	46.6%	261 (34.5%)	365 (48.2%)	72 (9.5%)	25 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (4.4%)	81.2	42^nd of 266 public middle schools	84.2%		84.9	30^th of 264 public middle schools	88.6%	12		50.4	50.6	51.4		61.2	74.5	72.3			68.4	$8,783
Lake Cormorant Middle School	Public	6-8	3203 Wilson Mill Road W	Lake Cormorant	38641	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 781-0778	707	46	15.2	68.9%	250 (35.4%)	315 (44.6%)	93 (13.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (6.2%)	46.8	142^nd of 266 public middle schools	46.6%		49.4	134^th of 264 public middle schools	49.2%	8		38.2	40.7	33.6		36.5	65.8	46.8			40.4	$10,332
Byhalia Middle School	Public	5-8	172 Highway 309 North	Byhalia	38611	Marshall County	Marshall County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 838-2591	438	27	16.1	99.3%	103 (23.5%)	162 (37.0%)	144 (32.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.6%)	24.1	209^th of 266 public middle schools	21.4%		25.9	195^th of 264 public middle schools	26.1%	14	31.7	35.1	26.5	28.4	20.4	30.9	23.9	26.1		35.7	42.6	$9,909

Frequently Asked Questions about Desoto Central Middle School

What district is Desoto Central Middle School in?

Desoto County School District

How many students attend Desoto Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,388 students attended Desoto Central Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Desoto Central Middle School?

Students at Desoto Central Middle School are 48% African American, 31% White, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Desoto Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Desoto Central Middle School usually go on to attend Desoto Central High School

Is Desoto Central Middle School a good school?

Desoto Central Middle School ranks 27^th of 266 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

Rate Desoto Central Middle School!

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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.