The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Science. The lowest is 28% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Magnolia Middle School
Magnolia Middle School sits on Magnolia Street in Moss Point, Mississippi, serving grades six through eight as part of the Moss Point Separate School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and every student enrolled qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller Hispanic, white, multiracial, and American Indian or Alaska Native groups rounding out the enrollment. The school is small for a middle school serving three grade levels, with roughly equal numbers of students across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades plus a handful of ungraded students.
Moss Point itself is a working river city at the confluence of the Escatawpa and Pascagoula Rivers in Jackson County. The town blends residential neighborhoods with industrial and commercial zones. Omega Protein has operated its menhaden processing plant on the Escatawpa since the 1950s, making it the longest-running industry in the city. The Mississippi Export Railroad, a short-line freight railroad headquartered in Moss Point for more than a century, still runs. Northrop Grumman builds aerospace and unmanned systems at Trent Lott International Airport on the edge of town, anchoring a newer advanced manufacturing sector. Downtown Main Street retains local storefronts, a Mississippi Blues Trail marker, and long-running businesses like Burnham's. The city has rebuilt repeatedly after hurricanes and tornadoes, most recently after an EF-2 tornado in June 2023 that damaged the high school gym and destroyed or damaged homes and businesses along Main Street. Moss Point is largely car-dependent, with Interstate 10 running through the northern city limits and U.S. Route 90 forming the southeastern boundary. Sawmill Landing Park along the Escatawpa and the Pascagoula River Audubon Center provide nature access. The population has declined over recent decades, but the city is pursuing new commercial development along the Interstate 10 frontage, branded as The River City Mile.
Housing in the school's zip code is inexpensive relative to state and national benchmarks. The typical home value sits well below the Mississippi statewide figure and far below the national benchmark, with a modest year-over-year decline. The price-to-income ratio is low, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are moderate given current mortgage rates in the mid-six-percent range. No rent data was available for this area. For families looking to buy, the housing market here is among the more affordable in the region, though that affordability comes alongside a community that has experienced population decline and recurring disaster recovery.
On Mississippi's MAAP assessments, Magnolia Middle's results are mixed and generally below where most families would want proficiency to sit. In math, seventh grade stands out as the strongest grade, with close to half of tested students scoring proficient or above. Sixth and eighth grade math proficiency rates are notably lower, each at roughly a quarter to just under a third of tested students. English language arts follows a similar uneven pattern: sixth grade is the strongest, with about a third of students proficient, while seventh grade dips to roughly a fifth, and eighth grade lands in between. Science, tested only in eighth grade, is the school's brightest spot, with nearly half of eighth graders scoring proficient or above. Participation rates were not reported, so it is not possible to confirm full test participation from the available data. No multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to tell from this data whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability.
The school's IEP and English learner counts were not reported, so the share of students receiving special education services or language support is unknown. Information on discipline, course access, staffing, attendance, and Title I status was also absent from the available data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about those areas. The district brief did not surface specific parent-relevant changes in the Moss Point Separate School District in recent years, so nothing on that front can be reported here.
What the data does say is that Magnolia Middle is a small, high-poverty middle school in a resilient but economically pressed river town, serving a predominantly Black student body, with science standing out as a relative strength and math and ELA proficiency varying considerably by grade level. Families considering this school should weigh the affordable housing and tight-knit community context alongside the academic results and ask school leaders about supports, staffing, and any programs not captured here.
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