Summary:
Zip code 39553 (Gautier, MS) is served by two public middle schools—Gautier Middle (grades 7–8) and Singing River (grades 5–6)—both part of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District, which ranks in the 74th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating.
For parents comparing the two, Singing River is the stronger academic performer despite similar demographics. It averages 56.7% proficiency across tested subjects—about 9 points higher than Gautier Middle—with standout results like 6th grade math (66% proficient, 13.3 points above the state) and 5th grade science (69.5%). Singing River also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (20.9% vs. Gautier Middle’s 28.3%) and beats both district and state averages by small margins. Gautier Middle, by contrast, is more volatile: it performs well in 8th grade math (above district and state in 2024–2025) but saw 8th grade ELA drop sharply from 45.6% to 37.1% in one year. Its state ranking has slipped from the 69th percentile (2023–2024) to the 58th percentile, despite holding a 3-star rating. Both schools have identical enrollment (416) and similar free/reduced lunch rates (around 71%), so the achievement gap is not simply a poverty issue.
One takeaway for parents is that the two schools form a clear feeder pipeline—Singing River for grades 5–6, then Gautier Middle for 7–8—but performance tends to decline as students move up. Singing River’s high absenteeism is actually lower than the district average, while Gautier Middle’s absenteeism is more than 7 points higher. Both schools outpace their district by about 3.3–3.4 percentage points on average, but Singing River exceeds the state by 2 points while Gautier Middle trails slightly. If your child is heading into early middle school, Singing River looks like the more consistent option; for upper grades, Gautier Middle’s math strengths are real, but its attendance and ELA trends are worth watching closely.
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