Okolona Middle School

Okolona Middle School is a small rural school in Okolona, Mississippi, serving 125 students in grades 6–8 under the Okolona School District. One hundred percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it among the highest-poverty schools in the region, but the school's small enrollment keeps classes intimate with a student-to-teacher ratio around 11 to 1 — lower than nearby Tupelo Middle School, Nettleton Junior High, and Amory Middle School. The school carries a one-star state rating, but a closer look reveals some real strengths.

The most notable is attendance: just 5.9% of Okolona students were chronically absent in 2023-2024, compared with Mississippi's statewide average of 23.9%. That is dramatically lower than nearby Houston Middle School (28.5%), Plantersville Middle School (33.2%), and Shannon Middle School (37.6%), and it has improved steadily from 38.6% just three years earlier. Okolona also stands out in 8th-grade science, where 56.1% of students scored proficient in 2025-2026, nearly matching the state average (57.8%) and surpassing every nearby middle school except Tupelo.

Academic challenges remain, however. Okolona trails state averages in most reading and math subjects, with the largest gaps in 8th-grade ELA (19.5% vs. 40.9% statewide) and 8th-grade math (29.2% vs. 51.4%). Scores also swing noticeably year to year, partly because each grade level contains only about 40 students, so a handful of students can shift results. Even so, Okolona outperforms high-poverty neighbors like Shannon Middle School and Plantersville Middle School in several subjects and beats the higher-rated Amory Middle School in 8th-grade math and science. Strong attendance and improving science scores give the school a solid foundation for future growth.