Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 39648

In zip code 39648 (McComb, MS), two middle schools—Denman Junior High School and Higgins Middle School—serve grades 4 through 8 within the McComb School District, a high-poverty area where both schools report 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility. Denman is the standout for academic recovery: its 8th grade math proficiency jumped from 9.9% to 47.6% in one year, 8th grade science more than doubled to 51.0%, and the school’s state ranking improved from the 16th to the 35th percentile. Higgins, by contrast, offers better conditions—a lower student/teacher ratio (11.0 vs. 14.2) and lower chronic absenteeism (36.0% vs. 43.5%)—but saw broad test-score declines in 2025–2026, including 6th grade math falling from 52.0% to 33.6%. This makes Denman the rising star and Higgins a school to watch.

Both schools serve economically disadvantaged students and struggle with attendance, with chronic absenteeism far above the state’s 23.9% rate. Academically, English Language Arts remains the weakest subject: no ELA score at either school approaches the state average, from Denman’s 7th grade 25.7% to Higgins’ 6th grade 29.5%. Science is mixed—Denman improved sharply to 51.0% in 8th grade, while Higgins declined from 58.5% to 48.5% in 5th grade. In math, Denman’s 8th grade now nearly matches the state average (47.6% vs. 51.4%), but its 7th grade lags at 41.2% compared to the state’s 57.7%. Higgins’ 5th and 6th grade math scores also remain well below state levels in 2025–2026.

The grade-span pipeline suggests students may lose ground as they transition from Higgins (grades 4–6) to Denman (grades 7–8); a cohort that showed 52% math proficiency in 6th grade at Higgins fell to 41.2% in 7th grade at Denman the next year. Despite Higgins’ smaller classes, its 2025–2026 scores have not reflected that structural advantage. For parents, Denman offers a promising story of improvement, while Higgins provides more personalized attention but needs to reverse its recent slide. Both schools remain below state averages in most subjects, a challenge compounded by high poverty and absenteeism rates.