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South Pontotoc Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
116th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 263 Mississippi Middle Schools
Better than 56% of Mississippi middle schools
Summary

South Pontotoc Middle School is a grades 6–8 school in Pontotoc, MS, enrolling 379 students and serving a largely rural area of Pontotoc County. The school is part of the Pontotoc County School District, which rates 4 stars overall, but South Pontotoc itself currently holds a 3-star rating and ranks 116th of 260 Mississippi middle schools. Nearly all students (99.2%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio of 12.9 is notably favorable. The school shows some bright spots: 6th grade English Language Arts proficiency (52.6%) exceeds the district and state averages, and 6th grade math also sits above the state average.

However, academic performance fades significantly by 8th grade. In the latest data, 8th grade scores in ELA, math, and science all fall below district and state averages. The 8th grade science gap is especially large—only 48.1% proficient compared to 63.9% for the district and 75.9% at North Pontotoc Middle School. Math proficiency has also declined in upper grades, with 8th grade math dropping from 67.4% to 43.6% over three years. Meanwhile, nearby New Albany Middle School reports 69.8% proficiency in 8th grade math. Chronic absenteeism is another major concern: 34.1% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, well above the state average of 23.9% and higher than all comparable area schools, including New Albany Middle (15.1%) and Pontotoc Junior High School (22.0%).

South Pontotoc has also slipped in state rankings, falling from the 84th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 55th percentile today, while North Pontotoc Middle, in the same district, now ranks higher. The school does not report Algebra I End-of-Course results, unlike some neighboring schools, which may limit students' access to advanced math pathways. The good news: 6th grade ELA and math have improved markedly in recent years, suggesting that current students arriving in 7th and 8th grade may be better prepared. To reverse the downward trend, reducing chronic absenteeism and strengthening instruction in grades 7 and 8—especially science and math—should be top priorities.

379
Students ?
12.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$7,989
Per pupil spending ?
99.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1523 South Pontotoc Rd
       Pontotoc, MS  38863

(662) 489-3476

District: Pontotoc County School District


Students who attend South Pontotoc Middle School usually attend:

High:    South Pontotoc High School

Feeder schools for South Pontotoc Middle School:

Elementary:    South Pontotoc Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
79.7%
Hispanic:
11.3%
African American:
6.3%
more
 See top rated Mississippi middle schools

 Compare South Pontotoc Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the Mississippi median (56th percentile)
Worth a look
!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 24% Mississippi)
!Ranking has slipped — down 28 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school48%
District avg50%
Mississippi avg49%
116th of 263
Mississippi public middle schools ?
Top 44%▼ down 28 pts since 2016
From top 16% (2016) to top 44% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Mississippi Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 2Middle Schools in the Pontotoc County School District
28th of 133Pontotoc 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
202654.7116 of 26355.9%★★★☆☆
202562.0102 of 26661.7%★★★☆☆
202464.191 of 26465.5%★★★☆☆
202370.968 of 24372.0%★★★★☆
202275.655 of 25778.6%★★★★☆
202171.668 of 25773.5%★★★★☆
201963.594 of 26464.4%★★★☆☆
201855.0112 of 25255.6%★★★☆☆
201766.586 of 27268.4%★★★☆☆
201679.341 of 26084.2%★★★★☆
201580.840 of 26685.0%★★★★☆
201475.052 of 26480.3%★★★★☆
201369.778 of 26971.0%★★★★☆
201269.682 of 27069.6%★★★☆☆
201182.131 of 26488.3%★★★★☆
201080.834 of 25586.7%★★★★☆
200979.539 of 24784.2%★★★★☆
200881.833 of 24486.5%★★★★☆
By subject vs Mississippi (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics54%~ state avg
Science48%-10 vs state
English Language Arts42%~ state avg

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Frequently Asked Questions about South Pontotoc Middle School

Students at South Pontotoc Middle School are 80% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races.

South Pontotoc Middle School ranks 116th of 263 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend South Pontotoc Middle School usually go on to attend South Pontotoc High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 379 students attended South Pontotoc Middle School.

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MSMississippi Middle School Rankings

MSMississippi District Rankings

Schools in Pontotoc, MS

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Latest Mississippi data All new data »
2025–26 MAAP test scoresAug 21, 2026
2023–24 school spending dataSep 26, 2025
2023–24 through 2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 26, 2025
2023–24 graduation ratesSep 23, 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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