Summary:
Zip code 38654 in Olive Branch, Mississippi, is served by two public middle schools—Center Hill Middle School and Olive Branch Middle School—both part of the DeSoto County School District, and both serving grades 6 through 8 with very similar enrollments of roughly 750 students each.
Center Hill Middle School is the clear academic standout in this area. It holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 80th percentile statewide, with an overall proficiency rate of 58.7% compared to Olive Branch’s 44.6%. The gap is especially wide in 8th grade: Center Hill posts 70.3% proficiency in math and 67.4% in science, while Olive Branch trails at 46.1% and 40.8%, respectively. Center Hill also exceeds the district and state averages in nearly every subject, and its math program is particularly strong—7th-grade math proficiency reaches 74.6% versus the state average of 57.7%. Olive Branch, meanwhile, has one notable bright spot: its 7th-grade math proficiency of 65.7% beats the state average and comes close to the district level, even though most other subjects fall below district and state benchmarks.
Economic factors may play a role in the achievement gap, as Olive Branch has a free/reduced lunch rate of 62.6% compared to Center Hill’s 46.6%. However, chronic absenteeism is nearly identical—23.8% at Olive Branch and 24.6% at Center Hill—so attendance does not explain the difference. Both schools exceed the state average for chronic absenteeism (23.9%) but stay below the district average (26.4%). Center Hill’s state ranking has slipped modestly over the past three years, but it remains in the top quarter of Mississippi middle schools. Olive Branch has been more volatile but shows a slight upward trend in overall proficiency. For parents, the choice is clear academically, but both schools share a need for continued attention to attendance and supporting all students.
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