Kosciusko Junior High School

Kosciusko Junior High School serves 472 students in grades 6–8 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, as part of the Kosciusko School District, which ranks in the 61st percentile of Mississippi districts. The school itself ranks 117th out of 260 Mississippi middle schools, earning a 3-star rating. About 77% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is a comfortable 12.7-to-1.

The school's academics are a bright spot when compared with nearby Williams-Sullivan Middle School in Durant, about 16 miles away. Kosciusko outperforms Williams-Sullivan by wide margins in nearly every subject — for example, 53.1% of Kosciusko 6th graders are proficient in math versus 18% at Williams-Sullivan, and Kosciusko's overall state ranking is 117th versus 215th. The strongest signal is Algebra I: Kosciusko achieved 100% proficiency three consecutive years, and 82.8% most recently, well above the state average. Eighth-grade math has also consistently topped state averages, indicating a genuine strength in accelerated math coursework.

That said, there are areas parents should watch. Seventh-grade scores dip noticeably in both reading and math — a pattern that pulls down the school's overall ranking. Science results are inconsistent, and chronic absenteeism has jumped from 9.6% in 2018-2019 to 26.2% in 2023-2024, now higher than both district and state averages. That rate is especially striking because Williams-Sullivan, despite serving a 100% free-lunch population, has only 9.3% chronic absenteeism. The school has also declined from a 4-star peak several years ago. Still, Kosciusko remains a solid middle performer with real academic strengths, and improving attendance could unlock even better results.