Holly Springs Intermediate School

Holly Springs Intermediate School is a public middle school serving grades 4-6 in the Holly Springs School District in Holly Springs, Mississippi, with 221 students and a student-teacher ratio of around 14:1. The school has a 100% free and reduced lunch rate, indicating a high-poverty student population.

Despite its challenges, Holly Springs Intermediate School stands out in several key areas. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.9% to 38.2% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school's proficiency rates on the MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) tests are significantly below state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025 projected proficiency rates, the school lags the state average by over 10 percentage points in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Compared to the nearby Holly Springs Junior High School, which is in the same district, Holly Springs Intermediate School performs significantly worse on academic measures, and the junior high school has a higher state-wide ranking.

The data suggests that Holly Springs Intermediate School is facing significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students. The school's persistently low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and high-poverty student population indicate that targeted interventions and additional resources may be needed to improve student outcomes. While the reasons for these challenges are complex, the stark contrast in performance between Holly Springs Intermediate School and the nearby junior high school within the same school district suggests that there may be significant differences in the quality of education or resources available at the two schools.