Summary:
Zip code 39157, located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is home to just one middle school: Old Town Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 with 693 students and operates within Madison County Schools, a top-20 district in the state. Old Town is a high-poverty school, with 75.61% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, yet it outperforms Mississippi state averages in English Language Arts, math, and science — a notable achievement given the economic challenges facing roughly three-quarters of its student body.
Old Town's academic profile shows a school that exceeds state norms but trails its high-achieving district. The school posts average proficiency of 46.0% in ELA across grades 6–8, compared to 63.5% for the district and 41.9% for the state. In math, Old Town averages 55.8% proficiency, while the district averages 74.2% and the state averages 53.9%. Science proficiency stands at 58.8%, versus the district's 77.4% and the state's 57.8%. Math is the stronger core subject, with 7th and 8th grade proficiency both reaching 61.2%, though 6th grade math lags at 45.0%. The school reports 100% proficiency on Algebra I and Biology end-of-course exams, far exceeding district and state averages, though these results likely reflect a self-selected group of advanced students. Chronic absenteeism affects 21.1% of students — slightly worse than the district's 20.4% but better than the state's 23.9%.
Old Town Middle School has demonstrated steady improvement in state rankings, climbing from 117th in 2020–2021 to 81st in 2025–2026, moving from the 54th to the 69th percentile while holding a 3-star rating. The school also benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.8, which is notable for a school with high economic disadvantage. With its upward trajectory, strong advanced-course results, and above-state performance despite significant poverty, Old Town appears to be on a positive path, though ELA proficiency and chronic absenteeism remain the most pressing areas to watch.
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