Utica Elem. / Middle School, Utica MS

Original Research by School Decision on Utica Elem. / Middle School

Utica Elementary/Middle School sits at the junction of Mississippi Highways 18 and 27 in a small, declining rural town in southwest Hinds County. The school serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Hinds County School District. Students who age out of this campus move on to Raymond High School in nearby Raymond. The town itself has deep agricultural roots, with watermelons, cotton, and timber as historical mainstays, and a community source describes contemporary life as "farm life" with an older population. Most working residents commute to Vicksburg for employment, as no large private employers were identified within Utica. The Utica campus of Hinds Community College, formerly Utica Normal and Industrial Institute, provides an institutional and educational presence in town.

The school's enrollment is small for its grade band. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller Hispanic and white populations. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here.

On state assessments through the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, the school shows a distinctive pattern. Math results rise sharply in the upper grades. Seventh-grade math proficiency is a clear strength, with a substantial majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Eighth-grade math is also strong, with roughly two-thirds proficient. Sixth grade sits above the middle as well. The lower elementary grades are more mixed, with third and fourth grade landing near the center and fifth grade dipping lower. ELA tells a different story. Across every tested grade from third through eighth, proficiency rates cluster in the lower range, with fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth grades particularly low. Science results are split: fifth-grade science is mid-range, while eighth-grade science is strong, with a clear majority proficient. Participation rate data was not reported for any grade or subject. A parent evaluating the academic picture may want to look into the ELA results further with the school, as reading and language arts outcomes are consistently the weakest area across grade levels. The contrast between math and ELA is the most defining feature of the academic profile.

No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these patterns represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. Data on staffing, attendance, discipline, course access, and Title I status was also not available. The school is not a charter school; magnet status was not reported.

The housing market in Utica's zip code is well below both state and national benchmarks. Home values are modest and have declined slightly over the past year. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are low relative to typical national figures, and the price-to-income ratio is favorable. Rent data was not available for this area. The broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate that has been stable and a median household income that has risen gradually in recent years. For families considering a move to Utica, housing affordability is a real advantage, though the town's sustained population decline and limited local employment are factors to weigh. No major new housing developments, commercial projects, or growth initiatives were identified in available sources.

The town has no formal walkability infrastructure or public transit. Civic life centers on churches along Main Street and the Evelyn Taylor Majure Library, part of the Jackson/Hinds Library System. The highway crossroads connect Utica to Jackson to the northeast, Vicksburg to the northwest, and Crystal Springs to the southeast, making regional access reasonable by car.

The district brief for Hinds County School District did not surface parent-relevant changes of lasting impact, so there is little to report on recent district-level initiatives or shifts. This narrative reflects the available data; gaps in several areas mean a family considering this school would benefit from direct conversation with school staff about programs, student support services, and any initiatives not captured here.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 51% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 40% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 48% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 38% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 777%

School 77% · District 50% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 43% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 41% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 50% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 73% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 56% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

This schoolHINDS CO SCHOOL DIST, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.