Summary:
Zip code 39560 (Long Beach, MS) includes two middle schools—Harper McCaughan Elementary (grades 4–6, 622 students) and Long Beach Middle School (grades 7–8, 475 students)—both part of the Long Beach School District, serving a combined 1,097 students across the full 4th through 8th grade span. Both schools serve a majority economically disadvantaged population, with roughly 59% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, yet they outperform Mississippi state averages by wide margins in every grade and subject tested.
Long Beach Middle School is the area's standout for statewide recognition, ranked 13th out of 260 Mississippi middle schools (95th percentile, 5 stars) in 2025–2026, following top-10 finishes the previous two years. Harper McCaughan Elementary has no state ranking listed, but its math scores are exceptional—6th grade math proficiency of 79.6% is nearly 27 points above the state average, with 4th and 5th grade math also 20+ points above. Science is another strength, with 8th grade science at Long Beach Middle at 77.5% versus 57.8% statewide. ELA is the relative weak spot, though still above state averages; 7th grade ELA at 48.1% proficiency is the lowest subject-area result in the zip code.
Chronic absenteeism affects about 1 in 4 students at Harper McCaughan (23.4%) and 1 in 5 at Long Beach Middle (21.9%), both slightly below state and district averages. Long Beach Middle's scores dipped somewhat in 2025–2026, particularly 8th grade ELA (down 8 points) and 7th grade ELA (down 5.7 points), yet the school retained its 5-star ranking. Harper McCaughan has a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.8 compared to Long Beach Middle's 17.2. Overall, this is a high-performing, cohesive feeder pattern—elite state ranking at Long Beach Middle, standout math achievement at Harper McCaughan, and consistent above-average results throughout—with chronic absenteeism and ELA proficiency as the main areas worth monitoring.
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