Natchez Middle

Natchez Middle School serves 397 students in grades 7–8 in Natchez, Mississippi, as part of the Natchez-Adams School District, which is ranked in the 30th percentile of districts statewide. The school has been steadily improving on state rankings, rising from a 1-star rating to a 2-star rating over the past three years, and now sits in the 38th percentile of Mississippi schools. That places it ahead of nearby Jefferson County Middle School, which currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 25th percentile.

One of the school's biggest strengths is attendance. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 20.0% to 14.5% in a single year, well below the district rate of 19.6% and the state rate of 23.9%. Nearby Morgantown Elementary, by comparison, has a chronic absenteeism rate of 27.2%. Natchez Middle also stands out in 8th-grade science, where 64.2% of students scored proficient — above the state average of 57.8% and a major jump from 45% the previous year. The student-teacher ratio has also improved steadily to 11.9, which is lower than both Morgantown Elementary (13.1) and Jefferson County Middle School (12.6), suggesting smaller class sizes and more individual attention.

The biggest academic challenge is math. While 8th-grade math proficiency improved significantly from 16.6% to 36.9%, both grades still trail the state significantly: 31.1% of 7th graders and 36.9% of 8th graders are proficient in math, compared with state averages of 57.7% and 51.4%. The school generally outperforms Jefferson County Middle School in English Language Arts and 7th-grade math. Given that 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, Natchez Middle's strong science results and improved attendance show a school that is making meaningful progress despite significant challenges.