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Cardozo Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

256^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 266 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 4% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Cardozo Middle School is a public middle school in Jackson, Mississippi, serving 573 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Jackson Public School District, which is ranked 103 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Cardozo Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Mississippi middle schools over the past 10 years.

Cardozo Middle School faces several key challenges. The school has had very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.9% to 31.2% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. Academically, Cardozo's proficiency rates on the MAAP tests are consistently well below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Cardozo's proficiency rates ranged from 8.3% to 17.1% in English Language Arts and 10.1% to 10.6% in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 37.3% to 46.7% in ELA and 47.5% to 52.9% in Math. Additionally, Cardozo Middle School has a 100% free and reduced-price lunch rate, indicating that all of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

When comparing Cardozo Middle School to other nearby schools in the Jackson Public School District, it is clear that Cardozo is performing significantly worse academically. For example, Bailey Middle Apac School and Northwest Middle School have much higher proficiency rates, ranking in the top 10-30 middle schools in the state. The high chronic absenteeism rates at Cardozo Middle School are likely a contributing factor to the school's poor academic performance, and the fact that all of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds suggests that the school may face additional challenges in supporting student learning and achievement.

531

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,290

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3180 McDowell Rd. Ext.
Jackson, MS 39204

(601) 346-5635

District: Jackson Public Schools

Students who attend Cardozo Middle School usually attend:

High:

Forest Hill High School

Feeder schools for Cardozo Middle School:

Elementary:

Bates Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.8%

Hispanic:

4.0%

White:

1.7%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Cardozo Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 9th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Mississippi average (15% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 24% Mississippi)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg26%

Mississippi avg50%

256^th of 266

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

103^rd of 130Jackson 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	5.2	256 of 266	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	260 of 264	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	237 of 243	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.2	254 of 257	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.3	244 of 257	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	262 of 264	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	243 of 252	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.1	267 of 272	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.2	259 of 260	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.5	241 of 266	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	15.3	239 of 264	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.8	242 of 269	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	25.0	216 of 270	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I59%-9 vs state

Science27%-28 vs state

English Language Arts12%-30 vs state

Mathematics10%-42 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardozo 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
Cardozo Middle School	Public	6-8	3180 McDowell Rd. 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%)	5.2	256^th of 266 public middle schools	3.8%		5	260^th of 264 public middle schools	1.5%	4		17.1	8.3	12.6		10.1	10.6	10.2	58.8		27.0	$15,290
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%)	3.1	262^nd of 266 public middle schools	1.5%		2.4	264^th of 264 public middle schools	0.0%	2		16.2	7.9	8.9		11.3	7.4	4.4			11.6	$16,248
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%)	9.8	248^th of 266 public middle schools	6.8%		23.9	203^rd of 264 public middle schools	23.1%	45	34.8	23.1	13.1	23.4	4.4	8.5	20.5	13.8		30.4	30.1	$12,878
Blackburn Middle School	Public	6-8	1311 W Pearl St	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%)	4.6	260^th of 266 public middle schools	2.3%		4.1	261^st of 264 public middle schools	1.1%	1		12.2	12.0	12.1		15.0	15.4	8.3			15.1	$16,571
Clinton Junior High School	Public	7-8	711 Lakeview Drive	Clinton	39056	Hinds County	Clinton Public School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 924-0619	862	59	14.7	44.4%	281 (32.6%)	487 (56.5%)	32 (3.7%)	46 (5.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.6%)	93.9	4^th of 266 public middle schools	98.5%		92.4	11^th of 264 public middle schools	95.8%	7			58.5	63.8			78.4	80.6	100.0		78.7	$9,209
Byram Middle School	Public	6-8	2009 Byram Bulldog Blvd.	Terry	39170	Hinds County	Hinds County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 372-4597	785	47	16.8	70.4%	36 (4.6%)	711 (90.6%)	15 (1.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.8%)	40.9	162^nd of 266 public middle schools	39.1%		30.5	183^rd of 264 public middle schools	30.7%	21		38.6	30.8	35.1		32.4	47.9	37.6			54.0	$9,639
Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	3655 Livingston Road	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-3580	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%)	4.9	259^th of 266 public middle schools	2.6%		3.6	262^nd of 264 public middle schools	0.8%	3		16.8	10.9	15.4		13.6	9.6	5.4			20.3	$16,140
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%)	83.7	28^th of 266 public middle schools	89.5%		89.3	20^th of 264 public middle schools	92.4%	8		60.8	59.7	78.9		47.8	75.0	67.6	100.0		78.8	$19,264
Bailey APAC Middle School	Public	6-8	7020 US 49 North	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-3609	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%)	86.5	22^nd of 266 public middle schools	91.7%		89	23^rd of 264 public middle schools	91.3%	1		58.7	57.8	63.3		68.6	87.3	63.3	90.0		63.3	$15,604
Lovett Elementary School	Public	6	2002 W. Northside Drive	Clinton	39056	Hinds County	Clinton Public School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 924-5664	375	24	15.6	46.1%	109 (29.1%)	207 (55.2%)	14 (3.7%)	33 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (2.9%)								(n/a)		65.3				71.8						$9,256

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardozo Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Cardozo Middle School?

Students at Cardozo Middle School are 94% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% White.

What high school do graduates of Cardozo Middle School attend?

Students who attend Cardozo Middle School usually go on to attend Forest Hill High School

Is Cardozo Middle School a good school?

Cardozo Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.8% of Mississippi middle schools.

What district is Cardozo Middle School in?

Jackson Public Schools

How many students attend Cardozo Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 531 students attended Cardozo Middle School.

Rate Cardozo 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.