Summary:
ZIP code 39556 is served by a single middle school, Hancock Middle School, which enrolls 884 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Hancock School District. The district is highly rated, ranking 9th out of 134 districts in Mississippi with a 5-star rating. Hancock Middle School itself has consistently earned a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and remains an above-average school within the state.
Academically, Hancock Middle School outperforms the state average in every subject and grade level for which data is reported. In 2025-2026, 7th grade math proficiency reached 64.2% (6.5 points above the state), and 8th grade science proficiency was 64.8% (7 points above the state). Its strongest year was 2024-2025, when 8th grade science posted a 71.0% proficiency rate, a 16.3-point lead over Mississippi. English Language Arts is the relative weakness, but still above state averages in all grades. However, there are signs of a slight decline: math and science scores dipped year-over-year, and the school's statewide rank slipped from 57th (79th percentile) to 68th (74th percentile).
A significant challenge is chronic absenteeism. In 2023-2024, 32.6% of Hancock Middle School students were chronically absent, compared to 28.5% for the district and 23.9% for the state. With roughly one in three students missing significant school time, this may be undermining academic gains and contributing to the recent slide in ranking. Notably, the school achieves these results while serving a student population where 69% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Hancock Middle School has a strong academic foundation, especially in math and science, and reducing absenteeism could help it climb back toward the upper ranks of Mississippi middle schools.
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