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Blackburn Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

260^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 1% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Blackburn Middle School is a 6–8 public middle school in Jackson, Mississippi, serving 317 students in the Jackson Public Schools district. The school ranks 257th out of 260 schools in Mississippi, placing it in the 1st percentile with a 0-star rating. Nearly every student at Blackburn — 99.68% — qualifies for free/reduced lunch, reflecting a student body that is almost universally economically disadvantaged. The Jackson Public Schools district itself is rated low overall, ranking 112th out of 134 Mississippi districts.

The most urgent issue at Blackburn is attendance. In 2023-2024, 57.6% of students were chronically absent — nearly double the district rate of 30.1% and more than 2.4 times the state rate of 23.9%. This makes academic progress very difficult. Test scores are far below district and state averages in every subject: 6th grade math proficiency is 11.0% compared to the state's 52.7%, and 8th grade ELA is 18.5% versus the state's 40.9%. Blackburn is part of a cluster of struggling Jackson middle schools — Peeples Middle School, Powell Middle School, Cardozo Middle School, and Kirksey Middle School all rank in the bottom 3% of Mississippi schools — but Blackburn stands out for having the highest chronic absenteeism of the group.

There are some bright spots. Blackburn posted a 91.6% proficiency rate on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam — more than double the district average — though this likely reflects a small group of advanced students. The school also has a very low student-teacher ratio of 7.3 to 1, the lowest among nearby schools. Perhaps most importantly, success is possible in this same district: Northwest Middle School and Bailey APAC Middle School serve similar student populations yet rank in the 88th and 87th percentiles, with 8th grade math proficiency rates of 64.8% and 68.6% compared to Blackburn's 15.6%. For parents, the bottom line is that attendance is the most urgent challenge, and addressing it would be a critical first step toward improving outcomes.

317

Students ?

7.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,571

Per pupil spending ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1311 West Pearl Street
Jackson, MS 39203

(601) 960-5329

District: Jackson Public Schools

Students who attend Blackburn Middle School usually attend:

High:

Jim Hill High School

Feeder schools for Blackburn Middle School:

Elementary:

Isable Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.8%

Hispanic:

0.9%

White:

0.6%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Blackburn Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (17% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (58% vs 24% Mississippi)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg28%

Mississippi avg51%

260^th of 263

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Middle Schools in the Jackson Public Schools

109^th of 133Jackson 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
2026	4.0	260 of 263	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.6	260 of 266	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	261 of 264	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	238 of 243	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	251 of 257	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	235 of 257	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	227 of 264	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.3	241 of 252	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.2	269 of 272	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.5	251 of 260	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.4	265 of 266	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.3	263 of 264	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.6	255 of 269	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.7	237 of 270	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.5	223 of 264	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.4	181 of 255	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	50.5	129 of 247	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.8	159 of 244	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I92%+26 vs state

Science22%-36 vs state

English Language Arts15%-27 vs state

Mathematics14%-40 vs state

★

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Schools Near Blackburn Middle School

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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)		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	Total
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
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
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
Cardozo Middle School	Public	6-8	3180 McDowell Road Ext.	Jackson	39204	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 346-5635	531	51	10.4	100.0%	9 (1.7%)	498 (93.8%)	21 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	6.6	255^th of 263 public middle schools	3.0%		5.2	256^th of 266 public middle schools	3.8%	1			25.2	11.4	17.4			16.4	13.0	19.2			32.4	$15,290
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Blackburn Middle School

Is Blackburn Middle School a good school?

Blackburn Middle School ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Mississippi middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Blackburn Middle School attend?

Students who attend Blackburn Middle School usually go on to attend Jim Hill High School

How many students attend Blackburn Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 317 students attended Blackburn Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Blackburn Middle School?

Students at Blackburn Middle School are 98% African American.

What district is Blackburn Middle School in?

Jackson Public Schools

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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.