Summary:
Zip code 39074 is home to just one middle school — Hawkins Middle School — which serves grades 5 through 8 in Forest, MS, as part of the Forest Municipal School District. With 460 students and a student-teacher ratio of 13.7, the school offers relatively small class sizes, but it operates in a high-poverty context: 83.91% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism stands at 20.2%, which is actually better than both the district (24.6%) and the state (23.9%).
Academically, Hawkins Middle School trails the Mississippi state average in every subject and grade level tested on the 2025–2026 MAAP. The most significant gaps are in 8th grade math (19.4% proficient vs. 51.4% statewide, a 32-point gap), 5th grade science (39.9% vs. 71.5%), and 7th grade math (29.4% vs. 57.7%). The school's relative bright spot is 8th grade science, where 50.0% of students are proficient, only 7.8 points behind the state average. Fifth grade math is the next closest subject, sitting 12.8 points below the state. ELA proficiency is also low across all grades, with 7th grade the weakest at just 15.7% proficient.
Year-over-year, the picture is mixed. Between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, the school improved in 5th grade ELA, 6th grade ELA, 5th grade math, 7th grade math, and 8th grade science — which jumped 7.7 points to 50%. However, 8th grade math fell another 7.4 points, and the school's state ranking slipped from the 16th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 8th percentile in 2025–2026, with its star rating dropping from 1 star to 0. Math proficiency also declines sharply as students advance: from 36.8% in 5th grade to just 19.4% by 8th grade. This suggests parents should watch upper-grade math closely, even as 8th grade science shows genuine promise.
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