The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Science. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Middle School
Jefferson Middle School sits on Owens Street in Columbia, the county seat of Marion County, Mississippi, and serves grades six through eight as part of the Columbia School District. The town hugs the east bank of the Pearl River, and its identity has long been tied to that waterway. Columbia thrived as a lumber town until its sawmill shut down, and today the local economy includes parachute, clothing, furniture, and electrical equipment manufacturing. U.S. Route 98 runs along the south side of the city and Mississippi Highway 13 cuts through its center, giving residents road access to Hattiesburg to the east and McComb to the west. The Marion County courthouse anchors a traditional downtown square, and Columbia City Park is a well-known public gathering spot. The population has been declining over recent decades, and no major new housing developments or growth initiatives surfaced in publicly reported sources. Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, which may appeal to families looking to settle near the school.
The school's enrollment is moderate for a middle school serving three grade levels. Its student body is nearly evenly split between Black and White students, with a small number of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic profile of the surrounding community and means the school operates with a universally low-income enrollment.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, the most recent results paint a mixed picture across grades and subjects. In math, sixth graders posted proficiency roughly in the middle of the range the state considers passing, seventh graders performed somewhat stronger, and eighth graders fell well below that level. English language arts results followed a different pattern, with sixth and eighth grade landing close to each other and seventh grade slightly behind. Eighth grade science proficiency landed near the midpoint. The sharpest soft spot is eighth grade math, where only about a third of tested students reached proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially if their child is approaching that transition year.
No participation rate data was reported for any grade or subject, which makes it harder to gauge how fully the tested population represents the enrolled student body. IEP and English learner figures were also missing, so the picture of special population support is incomplete. No trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the provided data whether these results represent improvement or decline.
The Columbia School District has made some publicly reported moves that shape the educational environment. It recently initiated an Intersession Program that gives students enrichment and remediation opportunities during school breaks, which can help families plan additional academic support outside the regular calendar. The district also established a new Broadcast Journalism Class at the high school level that has won statewide awards in its first year, expanding career-oriented options for students as they move up. The district's graduation rate has risen over a five-year stretch, which suggests attention to student progression through the upper grades.
Because Jefferson Middle serves only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate or high school end-of-course data for this school. Those measures belong to the high school that students feed into. Similarly, no Advanced Placement, dual-credit, or career pathway data was provided for this school, which is consistent with its middle school grade band.
The school is not a charter school. No magnet status, Title I status, discipline data, staffing figures, attendance rates, or course access details were included in the available data, so those dimensions of the school environment could not be characterized. No neighbor comparison or county-level positioning was provided, so the school could not be placed against its peers in the surrounding area.
What the data does show is a middle school serving a universally low-income, biracial student body in a small, declining river town with affordable housing. Academic results are middling with a clear weakness in eighth grade math, and the district has recently added supports that may help students as they advance. Families considering this school would benefit from asking about math instruction at the upper grades, the intersession program's offerings, and how the school tracks students toward the high school's improving graduation outcomes.
See more original research from School Decision →