The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Science. The lowest is 28% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Amite County Middle School
Amite County Middle School sits in Liberty, Mississippi, the county seat of Amite County, serving seventh and eighth graders as part of the Amite County School District. The school draws from a community that is very small, almost entirely rural, and shaped by its role as a county-seat town. Liberty's built environment centers on a historic courthouse square, with scattered residential properties and limited commercial activity. The largest private employer is an aviation-safety manufacturing plant, and county government offices provide additional jobs. Publicly reported sources describe a town with a declining population, minimal new development, and no major recent growth initiatives. The cost of living runs well below the national average, and housing is inexpensive relative to both state and national benchmarks, though local home values have been trending downward.
The school itself is small for its grade band, with an enrollment that fits comfortably into two grade levels plus a handful of ungraded students. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the broader economic conditions of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller White enrollment and a very small number of students identifying as two or more races. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here. The school is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and no Title I status was reported in the available data.
On the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, results from the most recent school year show a mixed academic picture. In seventh-grade math, a moderate share of students reached proficiency, while eighth-grade math proficiency was lower. English language arts results were weaker still in both grade levels, with roughly a quarter to just under a third of students meeting the proficiency bar. Eighth-grade science landed in between, with close to two-fifths of tested students demonstrating proficiency. No participation rates were reported, so it is not possible to confirm full testing participation from the available data. Multi-year trend data was also absent, so a parent looking to understand whether these results reflect improvement or decline over time would need to ask the school directly.
Several areas where a parent might expect information were simply not provided. No data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, or school environment was available. No program offerings were listed. No neighbor comparison was provided, so it is not possible to position this school against nearby middle schools using the data on hand. No civil-rights data was reported. These gaps are named here rather than filled with speculation. Some of them, such as the absence of a graduation rate, are explained by the grade band: a school serving only seventh and eighth graders does not produce a graduation rate. Others, like the missing staffing and discipline figures, may reflect reporting limitations rather than anything about the school itself, and a parent may want to look into these further with the district.
The broader housing context is one of affordability but also stagnation. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below both the Mississippi and national medians, and recent trends show a decline rather than appreciation. The price-to-income ratio suggests that purchasing a home is relatively accessible for those with steady income, but the shrinking local economy and lack of development activity mean that resale value and long-term equity growth are open questions. Rental data was not available for this area.
Liberty also has a private school option, Amite School Center, a K-12 institution affiliated with the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, which some families in the area may consider alongside the public schools. For families weighing Amite County Middle School, the deciding factors are likely to be the small, close-knit environment, the universal low-income student population, and the academic results that show real room for growth, particularly in English language arts. A visit to the school and a conversation with district leadership about supports, staffing, and any initiatives underway would help fill in the picture that the available data cannot complete.
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