The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Science. The lowest is 51% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Oak Grove Middle School
Oak Grove Middle School sits on Old Highway 24 in the Hattiesburg area, serving grades six through eight as part of the Lamar County School District. It is a sizable middle school for its grade band, drawing students from the broader Hattiesburg metro area on the Lamar County side. The student body is racially diverse, with Black and White students each forming the largest groups and a smaller Hispanic and multiracial presence. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a broad economic mix within the enrollment.
On the most recent Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, Oak Grove Middle shows a solid academic profile, with some variation across grades and subjects. Math proficiency is a clear strength. More than half of sixth graders reached proficient or above, seventh grade posted the strongest math result with well over half proficient, and eighth grade landed in between. Science proficiency among eighth graders was also strong, with a clear majority testing proficient or above. English language arts results are more mixed. Sixth grade ELA proficiency was above half, seventh grade dipped below half, and eighth grade rebounded to just above half. The seventh grade ELA result is the softest number in the school's profile, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what drives the dip at that grade level relative to the others.
The school does not have graduation rate data, which is expected because it serves only middle school grades. Participation rates for the state assessments were not available in the data provided. We also looked for multi-year trend information and found none, so there is no prior-year comparison to judge whether these results are improving or declining. Information on special populations, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, was not available. Data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance was also absent, so those dimensions of school life cannot be characterized here.
Hattiesburg itself is a mid-sized city and the principal anchor of the Pine Belt region. Publicly reported sources describe it as a university town, home to the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University, which gives the area a younger median age than many comparable Mississippi cities. Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River, sits just south of the city and brings a steady military presence. The city developed historically as a railroad and lumber center, earning the nickname "The Hub City" for its position at the intersection of major rail lines and highways. Today those same corridors, including Interstate 59 and US Highways 49, 98, and 11, keep Hattiesburg a regional transportation crossroads. The built environment is predominantly auto-oriented, with walkable pockets concentrated downtown and in select cultural destinations. The Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood District, a collection of Victorian-era homes near downtown, has drawn recognition from the American Planning Association and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Major employers span higher education, two hospital systems, Camp Shelby, and branches of national manufacturers, making the public and institutional sectors dominant in the local economy.
The city extends across Forrest County, where it serves as county seat, and into Lamar County, where Oak Grove Middle School is located. That Lamar County side saw commercial land added through annexation, bringing retail and development pressure to the area over time. The broader metro area grew after Hurricane Katrina displaced coastal residents inland, and the city has described itself as on a forward trajectory with ambitions around economic growth, education, and health care.
Housing in the school's zip code sits above the state benchmark for typical home values but below the national one, making it relatively moderate by national standards though on the higher side for Mississippi. Rents are similarly positioned. Recent year-over-year increases in both home values and rents have been modest, and the area's price-to-income ratio remains below the national figure, suggesting that ownership is relatively attainable for working households compared with many parts of the country.
The Lamar County School District brief turned up no parent-relevant changes meeting a lasting-impact threshold. The district has historical consolidation in its background, but nothing recent surfaced that would shift what a parent should expect day to day.
For a family weighing Oak Grove Middle, the picture is one of a large, diverse middle school with consistent math and science performance and ELA results that hold up in most grades but slip in seventh. The surrounding area offers university-town amenities, a military and institutional employment base, and housing costs that are moderate relative to the national market. Where data gaps exist, particularly around staffing, discipline, special populations, and academic trends, a parent would benefit from asking the school or district directly.
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