The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Science. The lowest is 61% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Diberville Middle School
D'Iberville Middle School sits in a fast-growing corner of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, serving grades four through eight as part of the Harrison County School District. The city of D'Iberville sits just north of Biloxi across Back Bay, part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. It has grown rapidly since its incorporation, with its population nearly doubling by the most recent census. The built environment is largely suburban and auto-oriented, with commercial corridors along highway frontage and City Hall located on Automall Parkway rather than in a traditional downtown. After Hurricane Katrina, the city adopted New Urbanism principles for its downtown master plan, working toward a mixed-use main street, though that traditional center is still taking shape. Schools sit on separated campuses within the city rather than integrated into a walkable core. The Jerry Lawrence Memorial Library, part of the Harrison County Library System, serves as a civic anchor alongside the city's own police and fire departments.
The school's enrollment is moderate for its grade band, with students distributed fairly evenly across the five grades it serves. The student body reflects the diversity of the surrounding community. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, then Hispanic students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations also present. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is typical for the region and shapes the kinds of support services families may expect the school to provide. Data on English-learner and special-education populations was not available, so those figures are not characterized here.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, D'Iberville Middle shows generally solid proficiency in math across all five tested grades. The strongest results come in fifth grade, where roughly three-quarters of tested students reached proficiency, and seventh grade also performs well. Eighth-grade math is the soft spot, with a clear drop from the higher grades, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what drives that dip. ELA results follow a similar pattern but with more variation. Fifth grade again stands out as a strong year, while seventh grade is the weakest point, with fewer than half of tested students demonstrating proficiency. That seventh-grade ELA result is the most concerning figure in the school's profile and would be worth a direct conversation with school leadership. Science, tested only in fifth and eighth grades, shows strength in fifth grade and a moderate result by eighth grade.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, holding steady, or slipping over time. Participation rates were also not reported, which limits the picture slightly, though the tested counts are large enough relative to enrollment to suggest broad testing coverage.
Because D'Iberville Middle serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, which is expected for this grade band rather than a gap. The same applies to AP or career-pathway data, which typically appear at the high school level. No program offerings, course-access details, staffing ratios, attendance figures, or discipline data were provided, so those dimensions of school life are not covered here. We looked for the district's recent parent-relevant changes but found little in the way of specific shifts such as referendums or curriculum overhauls, so that was left out rather than guessed.
Housing in the D'Iberville zip code sits above the Mississippi state benchmark for home values but well below the national figure, which gives the area a relatively accessible entry point for families looking to buy. Rents are similarly moderate. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home comes in higher than typical rent, meaning renting may be the more affordable option for many households at current interest rates. Home values have been appreciating modestly year over year, consistent with the broader pattern of growth the city has experienced since incorporation.
For a family weighing this school, the academic profile is one of generally dependable middle-tier performance with particular strength in the earlier grades and a clear weakening in seventh-grade ELA and eighth-grade math. The community context is a diverse, growing Gulf Coast suburb still working toward a more cohesive downtown identity. The housing market is within reach for many families relative to national costs, and the surrounding metro area offers access to regional amenities in Gulfport and Biloxi.
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