Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 39204

Middle schools in zip code 39204 in Jackson, Mississippi, serve grades 5–8 across two schools—Cardozo Middle School and Reimagine Prep—both serving communities where 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Reimagine Prep is the higher-performing school in the area, with an average test proficiency of 31.3% in 2025–2026 compared to Cardozo Middle School's 19.3%. Reimagine also showed the strongest growth, jumping from 20.2% proficiency the prior year—a gain of 11.1 percentage points—while Cardozo improved by 5.6 points. Despite this progress, both schools rank in the bottom 10% of Mississippi middle schools; Reimagine sits at the 7th percentile and Cardozo at the 3rd percentile.

Key metrics highlight stark differences in resources and outcomes. Cardozo has a much smaller student-teacher ratio (10.4) than Reimagine (21.7), yet Cardozo's test scores are significantly lower, suggesting factors like curriculum and school culture matter more than class size alone. Chronic absenteeism is a serious challenge at both schools: 31.2% of Cardozo students and 41.9% of Reimagine students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, compared to the state average of 23.9%. Math is the biggest academic weakness—Cardozo's 7th grade math proficiency was just 13% versus the state's 57.7%, and Reimagine's 6th grade math was 13.7% versus the state's 52.7%. Science scores are relatively stronger, with Reimagine at 44.8% and Cardozo at 32.4% proficiency.

There are positive takeaways. Both schools improved in nearly every grade and subject year-over-year, with Reimagine's 5th grade standing out—its 5th grade science proficiency reached 53.4% and 5th grade ELA hit 45.2%, close to state averages. Cardozo also has a bright spot: its Algebra I End-of-Course proficiency was 58.8%, well above its district's 44.8% and near the state's 67.3%, even though its 8th grade math proficiency was only 10.2%. Statewide rankings did not improve much because peer schools also gained ground, but the upward trajectory suggests that continued focus on math intervention, attendance, and expanded access to advanced coursework like Algebra I could help these schools lift outcomes for their students.