Summary:
Zip code 39307 in Meridian, Mississippi, is served by one middle school: Northwest Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 and enrolls 484 students. The school is part of the Meridian Public Schools district, ranked 120th out of 134 Mississippi districts, yet Northwest Middle School generally matches or exceeds district averages on most tested subjects while remaining below state averages.
Northwest Middle School's strongest tested subject is 8th grade science, with 47.8% proficient in 2025–2026, up from 41.2% and well above the district's 42.0%. The school also posted a dramatic one-year jump in 7th grade math, from 26.8% to 45.4% proficient, nearly matching the district and approaching the state average. However, 6th grade math remains a serious concern at just 18.2% proficient compared to 52.7% statewide, and it declined 6.4 points from the prior year. ELA proficiency ranges from 26.4% to 31.6% across grades, with 8th grade improving 4.7 points, but all ELA scores still trail the state by 9 to 18 points. The school's state ranking improved from the 12th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 20th percentile in 2024–2025, then held steady at the 19th percentile in 2025–2026.
The school serves an extremely high-poverty population, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism affects 27.8% of students — better than the district's 32.8% but worse than the state's 23.9%. The student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1 is favorable and suggests smaller class sizes, which makes the achievement gaps more striking and suggests that factors such as poverty, attendance, and instructional quality are likely driving outcomes. Overall, Northwest Middle School shows real signs of progress in select areas like 7th grade math and 8th grade science, but it continues to face significant challenges, especially in foundational math proficiency.
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