Summary:
Zip code 39083 contains exactly one middle school, Hazlehurst Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 in the Hazlehurst City School District in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. With 292 students and a free/reduced lunch rate of nearly 100%, this is a very high-poverty school, and because it is the only middle school in the district, its test scores are reported identically to the district's.
Hazlehurst Middle School has shown clear signs of improvement. Its state ranking rose from the 32nd percentile in 2024-2025 to the 40th percentile in 2025-2026, though it remains a 2-star school in the lower half of Mississippi middle schools. The biggest gains were in 8th grade math, which jumped from 16.5% proficient to 33.3% proficient, a gain of nearly 17 percentage points, and 7th grade ELA, which rose 11.3 points to essentially match the state average at 36.1%. The school's clearest strength is 6th grade math, where 55.9% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, above the state average of 52.7% for the second consecutive year. English Language Arts remains the biggest concern: 6th, 7th, and 8th grade ELA proficiency rates are 32.1%, 36.1%, and 28.0%, respectively, all below state averages, with the 8th grade gap about 13 points.
Attendance is a challenge but relatively better than the district: 31.4% of students are chronically absent, compared to 40.8% for the district and 23.9% statewide. While the school still trails state averages in most subjects, the positive trajectory in math, science, and overall state ranking suggests that progress is underway. Parents should view the test scores in the context of the school's nearly universal poverty rate and take encouragement from the steady improvements shown in recent years.
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