Summary:
Zip code 39439 contains just one middle school, Heidelberg Junior High School, which serves grades 7–8 with 104 students in the East Jasper School District. Because it is the only middle school in the area, it defines the district's middle school performance entirely. The school has a student–teacher ratio of 10.5, and every student qualifies for free/reduced lunch, reflecting a high-poverty, small-school environment in rural Mississippi.
Heidelberg Junior High School's state ranking has slipped from the 55th percentile (3 stars) in 2023–2024 to the 32nd percentile (2 stars) in 2025–2026. Recent test scores paint a mixed picture. In 2025–2026, 7th grade math was the strongest subject at 51.2% proficient, just 6.5 points below the state rate of 57.7%, while 7th grade ELA was the weakest at 24.4% versus 36.7% statewide. In 2024–2025, 8th grade math was the only subject/grade where the school beat the state, with 51.1% proficiency compared to 47.5% statewide. However, 8th grade scores dropped significantly in the most recent year: ELA fell from 35.6% to 24.5%, math from 51.1% to 42.9%, and science from 53.3% to 46.9%.
Despite 100% economic disadvantage, chronic absenteeism is only 12.4%, roughly half the statewide rate of 23.9%, indicating that attendance is a real strength at this school. With just 104 students and small class sizes, Heidelberg Junior High School offers a close-knit learning environment, but its performance directly determines the East Jasper School District's middle school metrics. The consistent gap between math/science and ELA suggests that strengthening literacy instruction could be the key to reversing the school's recent ranking decline.
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