Bay Springs Middle School

Bay Springs Middle School is a small, rural school in Bay Springs, MS, that serves 181 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the West Jasper School District. While the district itself earns a solid 3-star rating, placing it in the top half of Mississippi districts, Bay Springs Middle School currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks near the bottom third of schools statewide. The school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with over 96% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, but it maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5 to 1.

Academically, the school shows a clear split between subjects. Math is a relative strength, with 8th graders posting a 68% proficiency rate in 2023-2024, well above the state average of 55.3%. However, English Language Arts (ELA) is a major concern, consistently trailing state averages across all grades. For instance, 7th grade ELA proficiency was just 18.6% in 2025-2026, less than half the state average of 36.7%. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism at Bay Springs is significantly better than both district and state averages—17.7% compared to 23.7% and 23.9%, respectively, in 2023-2024—which is an encouraging sign for a school with such high poverty rates.

Compared to the nearby Heidelberg Junior High School in the East Jasper School District, which serves a similarly high-poverty population, Bay Springs turns in a broadly similar performance despite its home district's higher overall ranking. Bay Springs is stronger in 8th grade math and ELA, while Heidelberg does better in 7th grade math and 8th grade science. Because Bay Springs has only about 60 students per grade, year-to-year proficiency rates can swing sharply with just a handful of students. Ultimately, the school's data indicates it can reach above-average levels in math, but targeted literacy intervention—especially in 7th grade—is likely the most critical factor for lifting its overall performance.