Summary:
Zip code 38671 in Southaven, Mississippi contains just one public middle school, Southaven Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 within the DeSoto County School District.
Southaven Middle School is a large school with 1,423 students and a moderate student-teacher ratio of 15.9 to 1, but it faces significant challenges. About 64.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the chronic absenteeism rate of 26.5% exceeds both the district (26.4%) and state (23.9%) averages. Academically, the school consistently ranks in the low 20s percentile statewide with a 1-star rating for three consecutive years, a stark contrast to its district, which earns a 3-star rating and ranks in the 66th percentile. Overall proficiency across all subjects sits at roughly 34.7%, which is about 15 points behind the district and 14 points behind the state. The school's relative strength is 8th grade science, where 48.6% of students scored proficient in 2025–2026, the smallest gap to the state at just 9 points.
English Language Arts is the most urgent concern, especially in the upper grades. Only 24.6% of 7th graders and 24.3% of 8th graders were proficient in ELA, with the 8th grade gap to the state widening to 16.6 points. Mathematics shows a mixed picture: 6th grade math declined slightly to 32.3% proficiency, while 8th grade math saw a dramatic improvement from 28.9% to 40.0% in a single year, though still below the state average of 51.4%. 7th grade math remained the strongest math area at 39.4%. With only one middle school in the zip code, families have no other public school option within 38671, so the focus for improvement rests squarely on this school's ability to address literacy, attendance, and support for its high-poverty student body.
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