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Pearl River Central Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
61st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools
Better than 77% of Mississippi middle schools
Summary

Pearl River Central Junior High in Carriere, MS, serves 762 students in grades 6–8 and is part of the Pearl River County School District, a strong district ranked 13th out of 134 in Mississippi. The school itself has shown real momentum: its state rank jumped from 122nd to 61st out of 260 middle schools in the latest year, placing it in the 77th percentile with a 4-star rating.

Academically, math is the clear standout. In 2025–2026, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math proficiency rates (67.0%, 65.7%, and 60.6%) all beat state averages by 8 to 14 percentage points. Science also improved dramatically, with 8th grade proficiency rising from 50.4% to 67.9%. English Language Arts remains the weaker subject, but 7th grade ELA jumped from 24.4% to 40.1% in one year, and 8th grade ELA (49.0%) now leads Middle School of Poplarville (44.9%). The school also outperforms nearby Picayune Junior High School in every comparable subject, often by double digits—despite having a similar economic profile.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism: 34.3% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, well above the state average (23.9%) and more than double Poplarville's rate (17.0%). This likely holds the school back from even higher achievement. Even so, Pearl River Central Junior High delivers strong results despite serving a largely economically disadvantaged population, and its recent gains suggest that instructional improvements are taking hold. If attendance improves, this school could move from the 77th percentile into the top tier of Mississippi middle schools.

762
Students ?
16.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,879
Per pupil spending ?
60.8%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 7391 Hwy 11
       Carriere, MS  39426

(601) 798-5654

District: Pearl River County School District


Students who attend Pearl River Central Middle School usually attend:

High:    Pearl River Central High School

Feeder schools for Pearl River Central Middle School:

Elementary:    Pearl River Central Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
84.1%
Hispanic:
6.0%
Two or more races:
5.2%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 54th percentile in 2025 → 77th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Mississippi average (57% vs 49% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 23% of Mississippi middle schools
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 77th (2026) from a 54th-percentile low (2025)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school57%
District avg57%
Mississippi avg49%
61st of 263
Mississippi public middle schools ?
Top 23%▼ down 6 pts since 2016
From top 18% (2016) to top 23% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
13th of 133Pearl River 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
202675.061 of 26376.8%★★★★☆
202555.4121 of 26554.3%★★★☆☆
202460.5100 of 25961.4%★★★☆☆
202362.387 of 22861.8%★★★☆☆
202266.488 of 23362.2%★★★☆☆
202170.671 of 22969.0%★★★☆☆
201971.065 of 22370.9%★★★★☆
201874.456 of 21173.5%★★★★☆
201772.369 of 27274.6%★★★★☆
201678.246 of 26082.3%★★★★☆
201553.9107 of 26659.8%★★★☆☆
201481.533 of 26487.5%★★★★☆
201384.430 of 26988.8%★★★★☆
201271.376 of 27071.9%★★★★☆
201167.976 of 26471.2%★★★★☆
201065.885 of 25566.7%★★★☆☆
200962.192 of 24762.8%★★★☆☆
200859.7102 of 24458.2%★★★☆☆
By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?
Science68%+10 vs state
Mathematics64%+10 vs state
English Language Arts46%+4 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl River Central Middle School

Students who attend Pearl River Central Middle School usually go on to attend Pearl River Central High School

Pearl River Central Middle School ranks 61st of 263 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended Pearl River Central Middle School.

Students at Pearl River Central Middle School are 84% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

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MSMississippi Middle School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Carriere, 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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