Summary:
ZIP code 39452 is home to one middle school, George County Middle School, which serves grades 7–8 in Lucedale, Mississippi. As the only middle school in the area, it serves 618 students and is part of the George County School District, a district ranked 27 out of 134 in Mississippi (80th percentile, 4 stars). The school has a high-poverty profile, with 67.31% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and a student-teacher ratio of 14.1.
George County Middle School’s performance has been mixed and somewhat volatile. In 2023–2024, the school ranked in the 61st percentile (3 stars), but it dropped to the 38th percentile (2 stars) the following year, before recovering slightly to the 45th percentile (2 stars) in 2025–2026. The most striking bright spot is 8th grade science: 64.8% of students scored proficient in 2025–2026, which is 7 points above the state average and a 16-point jump from the prior year. Math remains a major weakness, with 7th and 8th grade proficiency rates about 14 points below state averages, though 8th grade math did improve from 30.8% to 37.4%. ELA performance is declining, with 7th grade proficiency falling to 28.8% and 8th grade to 37.7%, both below state averages.
Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, affecting 38.2% of students—more than one in three—compared to 31.8% for the district and 23.9% for the state. This high absenteeism rate, combined with high poverty and below-average math and reading scores, helps explain the school’s recent ranking struggles. While the school has not returned to its previous 3-star level, the strong science results and improvement in 8th grade math suggest areas of promise. For parents, the key takeaway is that George County Middle School has clear strengths in science but faces real challenges in foundational math and ELA skills, along with an absenteeism problem that likely affects learning schoolwide.
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