Best Public Schools in Zip Code 39705

Zip code 39705 in Mississippi is served by a single public middle school, Columbus Middle School, which enrolls 597 students in grades 6–8 and is part of the Columbus Municipal School District. This is a school that serves an almost entirely low-income student body, with 99.66% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and it has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.6, meaning class sizes are relatively small and could allow for more individual attention.

Academically, Columbus Middle School trails the state average in every subject and grade, but the most recent data shows meaningful improvement across the board. Between the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years, proficiency rates rose in every comparable area, including an 8.9-point gain in 8th grade math, a 9.4-point gain in 8th grade science, and a 7.6-point gain in 7th grade English language arts. The school’s state ranking also improved from the 8th percentile to the 13th percentile, and its star rating moved from 0 to 1 star. Still, proficiency remains well below state averages—for example, 7th grade math proficiency is 30.8% compared to the state’s 57.7%—so the school clearly has a long way to go. A major concern is chronic absenteeism: 31.2% of students were chronically absent in 2023–2024, which is higher than both the district (28.4%) and the state (23.9%).

For parents, the key takeaway is that Columbus Middle School faces significant challenges tied to poverty and attendance, but it is showing clear signs of progress. The school’s test scores improved in every subject and grade in the latest year, and the low student-teacher ratio is a positive structural factor. Because this is the only school in the zip code, the school’s performance essentially defines the district’s middle school results. While the school remains in the bottom 13% of Mississippi middle schools, the upward trend in both test scores and state ranking suggests that instructional efforts may be starting to pay off. Reducing chronic absenteeism—roughly one in three students misses enough school to be considered chronically absent—could be the most impactful next step for continuing this momentum.