Best Public Schools in Zip Code 39175

Zip code 39175 (Utica, MS) is served by a single public school, Utica Elementary Mid School, which enrolls 304 students in grades PK–8 within the Hinds County School District. As the only school in the area, it stands out by default, but its real standout features are internal: the school has experienced a dramatic decline in state ranking over two years, falling from the 44th percentile in 2023–2024 to the bottom 5% of Mississippi schools in the current year, while still showing notable strength in middle-school mathematics.

The school serves a 100% economically disadvantaged population, reflected in a 100% free/reduced lunch rate, yet its chronic absenteeism rate of 20.6% is actually better than the district (23.5%) and state (23.9%). With a favorable student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1, the school has structural advantages, but academic outcomes remain mixed. In the current year, math proficiency averages 33.1% and English Language Arts averages 28.2%, both well below state averages. The brightest spot is upper-grade math: 8th grade math proficiency is 54.5%, above both the district (48.7%) and state (51.4%), while 7th grade math (51.7%) slightly exceeds the district. Conversely, 3rd grade math (12.9%) and 5th grade science (27.2%) represent severe gaps, and ELA proficiency has not reached the state average at any grade level in either year.

The most urgent finding is a sharp, school-specific collapse in mathematics from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, with the school’s math average dropping 19.6 points while the district and state stayed flat. Every grade level declined, including a 30.9-point drop in 3rd grade math and a 25-point drop in 6th and 7th grade math. Science results are also volatile, with 5th grade science falling from 46.2% to 27.2% and 8th grade science from 68.7% to 45.4%. These declines suggest possible changes in curriculum, staffing, or testing cohorts. For parents, the key takeaway is that Utica Elementary Mid School has genuine strengths in middle-school math and prior strong science scores, but the recent broad-based decline in math and science is a red flag that warrants close attention and further inquiry into school-level policies and support.