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Pearl River Central Junior High

Public Grades 6-8
122nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 266 Mississippi Middle Schools
Better than 54% of Mississippi middle schools
Summary

Pearl River Central Junior High is a public middle school in Carriere, Mississippi, serving 775 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Pearl River County School District, which is ranked 32 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Over the past 10 years, Pearl River Central Junior High has consistently ranked in the top half of Mississippi middle schools, with a 3-star or 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. In comparison, the nearby Middle School of Poplarville has a similar ranking and rating, while Picayune Junior High School has a lower ranking and rating. However, Pearl River Central Junior High has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 23.9% in 2021-2022 to 34.3% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools.

Academically, Pearl River Central Junior High's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally on par with or slightly above the district and state averages, with some exceptions. For example, the school's 7th-grade ELA proficiency rate is lower than the state average, but its 7th-grade Mathematics proficiency rate is higher. The school has also shown impressive performance in Algebra I, with a 97.3% proficiency rate in 2020-2021, significantly higher than the district and state averages. However, the school's high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, which has increased from 61.42% to 99.61% in recent years, is an important factor to consider when analyzing the school's academic performance and the challenges it may face.

762
Students ?
16.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,879
Per pupil spending ?
60.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 7391 Hwy 11
       Carriere, MS  39426

(601) 798-5654

District: Pearl River County School District


Students who attend Pearl River Central Junior High usually attend:

High:    Pearl River Central High School

Feeder schools for Pearl River Central Junior High:

Elementary:    Pearl River Central Elementar
Racial breakdown:

White:
84.1%
Hispanic:
6.0%
Two or more races:
5.2%
more
 See top rated Mississippi middle schools

 Compare Pearl River Central Junior High to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025
Strengths
✓Above the Mississippi median (54th percentile)
Worth a look
!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 24% Mississippi)
!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school47%
District avg47%
Mississippi avg48%
122nd of 266
Mississippi public middle schools ?
Top 46%▼ down 6 pts since 2015
From top 40% (2015) to top 46% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
32nd of 130Pearl 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
202555.4122 of 26654.1%★★★☆☆
202460.5101 of 26461.7%★★★☆☆
202362.389 of 24363.4%★★★☆☆
202266.491 of 25764.6%★★★☆☆
202170.672 of 25772.0%★★★★☆
201971.068 of 26474.2%★★★★☆
201874.457 of 25277.4%★★★★☆
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 (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics57%+5 vs state
Science50%-4 vs state
English Language Arts37%-5 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl River Central Junior High

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended Pearl River Central Junior High.

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

Pearl River Central Junior High ranks 122nd of 266 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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


Rate Pearl River Central Junior High!



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MSMississippi Middle School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Carriere, MS

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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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