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Shirley D. Simmons Middle School

Q: Is Shirley D. Simmons Middle School a good school?

Shirley D. Simmons Middle School ranks 106 th of 263 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

106^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools

Better than 60% of Mississippi middle schools

Summary

Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is a small public school in Canton, Mississippi, serving 124 students in grades 6–8 within the Madison County Schools district. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 94.35% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, yet it stands out for an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 6.3:1 — roughly half the ratio of nearby middle schools, which range from 12.9 to 14.0.

Academically, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School ranks 106th out of 260 Mississippi middle schools, placing it near the middle of the pack statewide. Within its high-poverty peer group, though, it performs well: it is clearly ahead of Nichols Middle School and Leake Central Junior High School, and competitive with Huey L Porter Middle. Its signature strength is 8th grade science, where 84.7% of students scored proficient — far above the state average of 57.8% and well above all nearby schools. The school also reported 100% proficiency on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam in 2024–25, compared to a state average of 67.3%.

The most pressing concern is 8th grade math, which has declined sharply from 60.5% to 36.9% proficiency over three years. Overall, Simmons performs roughly at the state average but lags its own high-performing district, Madison County Schools, which ranks 20th out of 134 districts in Mississippi. With small class sizes, low chronic absenteeism (17.0% vs. 37.4% at Nichols), and strong science outcomes, the school has solid foundations to build on. Still, its state ranking has slipped from the top quarter of Mississippi middle schools a decade ago to just above the middle today.

124

Students ?

6.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,745

Per pupil spending ?

94.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

820 Sulphur Springs Road
Canton, MS 39046

(601) 855-2406

District: Madison County Schools

Students who attend Shirley D. Simmons Middle School usually attend:

High:

Velma Jackson High School

Feeder schools for Shirley D. Simmons Middle School:

Elementary:	Camden Elementary
	Luther Branson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.6%

Two or more races:

1.6%

Hispanic:

0.8%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Shirley D. Simmons Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 60th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Mississippi median (60th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

!Near the bottom of Madison County Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg71%

Mississippi avg53%

106^th of 263

Mississippi public middle schools ?

Top 40%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Madison County Schools

20^th of 133Madison County 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	56.4	106 of 263	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.7	117 of 265	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	81 of 259	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	99 of 228	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.1	109 of 233	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.7	108 of 229	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	64 of 223	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	58.5	101 of 211	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.6	78 of 260	70.0%	★★★★☆
2015	65.2	75 of 266	71.8%	★★★★☆
2014	58.1	108 of 264	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.4	108 of 269	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.8	81 of 270	70.0%	★★★★☆
2011	58.2	122 of 264	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.8	135 of 255	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.9	134 of 247	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.1	181 of 244	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?

Science85%+27 vs state

Mathematics48%-6 vs state

English Language Arts39%-3 vs state

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Schools Near Shirley D. Simmons 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)	MAAP Biology (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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School	Public	6-8	820 Sulphur Springs Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Madison County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 855-2406	124	19	6.3	47.6%	0 (0.0%)	121 (97.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	56.4	106^th of 263 public middle schools	59.7%		56.7	117^th of 265 public middle schools	55.8%	11	40.5	25.1	47.8	50.0	62.5	36.9		84.7		$21,745
Huey L Porter Middle	Public	6-8	551 Finney Road	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 407-1820	356	27	13.0	39.6%	1 (0.3%)	255 (71.6%)	65 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.8%)	58.2	100^th of 263 public middle schools	62.0%		59.7	109^th of 265 public middle schools	58.9%	9	40.2	44.7	47.4	42.0	60.7	57.3		52.1		$12,435
Nichols Middle School	Public	6-8	529 North Mace Street	Canton	39046	Madison County	Canton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 859-3741	362	28	12.9	53.0%	2 (0.6%)	285 (78.7%)	62 (17.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	11.3	248^th of 263 public middle schools	5.7%		17.6	218^th of 265 public middle schools	17.7%	30	21.8	23.4	20.0	24.2	26.6	25.2		34.1		$11,831
Leake Central Junior High School	Public	6-8	801 Martin Luther King Drive	Carthage	39051	Leake County	Leake County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 267-8909	383	27	14.0	26.1%	53 (13.8%)	222 (58.0%)	93 (24.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	22.7	210^th of 263 public middle schools	20.2%		28.4	194^th of 265 public middle schools	26.8%	16	27.0	29.0	23.3	27.2	47.1	32.2		40.8		$12,188

Frequently Asked Questions about Shirley D. Simmons Middle School

How many students attend Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 124 students attended Shirley D. Simmons Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Shirley D. Simmons Middle School attend?

Students who attend Shirley D. Simmons Middle School usually go on to attend Velma Jackson High School

What district is Shirley D. Simmons Middle School in?

Madison County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?

Students at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School are 98% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is Shirley D. Simmons Middle School a good school?

Shirley D. Simmons Middle School ranks 106^th of 263 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Shirley D. Simmons Middle School!

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataOct 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.