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Rod Paige Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
93rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools
Better than 65% of Mississippi middle schools
Summary

Rod Paige Middle School is a small middle school in Monticello, Mississippi, serving 191 students in grades 6–8 within the Lawrence County School District. The school currently holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 64th percentile statewide, a remarkable turnaround from just a decade ago when it ranked in the bottom quarter of Mississippi middle schools. With about 82% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a largely economically disadvantaged population, yet it has steadily climbed to become the highest-rated middle school in the area. Its student-teacher ratio of 9.8:1 is the lowest among nearby comparison schools, meaning students are likely to get more individualized attention.

Rod Paige's strongest academic results come in the 8th grade, where students outperform the state average in English language arts, math, and science. Eighth grade science is a particular standout, with 72.1% of students scoring proficient compared to the state average of 57.8%. In 8th grade math, Rod Paige's 66.7% proficiency rate is more than double the rate at nearby Alexander Junior High and well above Jeff Davis County Middle School. Seventh grade results are also solid, matching or exceeding state averages in both math and English. The school's upward trajectory over the past several years suggests recent instructional changes are taking hold.

The two biggest challenges facing Rod Paige are chronic absenteeism and 6th grade math performance. More than 35% of students are chronically absent—about 11 points above the state average and higher than any nearby school, including Lipsey Middle School and Jeff Davis County Middle. Additionally, only 26.4% of 6th graders are proficient in math, far below the state average of 52.7% and a clear outlier compared to the school's own 7th and 8th grade results. This suggests a possible transition issue for incoming 6th graders. Given that Rod Paige already achieves above-average results despite these hurdles, addressing attendance and 6th grade math could push this school into the top quartile statewide.

191
Students ?
9.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,179
Per pupil spending ?
82.2%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 1570 Broad St. West
       Monticello, MS  39654

(601) 587-2128

District: Lawrence County School District


Students who attend Rod Paige Middle School usually attend:

High:    Lawrence County High School

Feeder schools for Rod Paige Middle School:

Elementary:    Monticello Elementary
Racial breakdown:

African American:
47.1%
White:
41.4%
Hispanic:
7.9%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2016 → 65th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2016
✓Above the Mississippi median (65th percentile)
✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school51%
District avg43%
Mississippi avg49%
93rd of 263
Mississippi public middle schools ?
Top 35%▲ up 29 pts since 2016
From bottom 36% (2016) to top 35% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
71st of 133Lawrence 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMississippi percentileRating
202661.093 of 26364.6%★★★☆☆
202564.394 of 26564.5%★★★☆☆
202466.083 of 25968.0%★★★☆☆
202351.2109 of 22852.2%★★★☆☆
202231.7157 of 23332.6%★★☆☆☆
202134.8148 of 22935.4%★★☆☆☆
201926.1176 of 22321.1%★☆☆☆☆
201834.2153 of 21127.5%★☆☆☆☆
201723.3206 of 27224.3%★☆☆☆☆
201636.0167 of 26035.8%★★☆☆☆
201531.3176 of 26633.8%★★☆☆☆
201434.6179 of 26432.2%★★☆☆☆
201337.9176 of 26934.6%★★☆☆☆
201240.8168 of 27037.8%★★☆☆☆
201160.3114 of 26456.8%★★★☆☆
201061.396 of 25562.4%★★★☆☆
200965.377 of 24768.8%★★★☆☆
200863.092 of 24462.3%★★★☆☆
By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?
Science72%+14 vs state
Mathematics52%~ state avg
English Language Arts41%~ state avg

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Frequently Asked Questions about Rod Paige Middle School

Rod Paige Middle School ranks 93rd of 263 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Rod Paige Middle School are 47% African American, 41% White, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Students who attend Rod Paige Middle School usually go on to attend Lawrence County High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 191 students attended Rod Paige Middle School.

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MSMississippi Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Monticello, MS

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026
2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026
2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 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.

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