The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Magee Middle School
Magee Middle School sits in the heart of a small Mississippi city that straddles U.S. Highway 49 between Jackson and Hattiesburg. The town blends residential neighborhoods with a working industrial base. Tyson Foods, Polk's Meat Products, Real Pure Beverage Group, and Howard Industry anchor the local economy, and an industrial park on the highway draws commuters from the surrounding area. A revitalized Main Street, the Jimmy Clyde Sportsplex, McNair Springs, and the Mims Williams Memorial Library give residents civic and recreational gathering points. A branch of Copiah-Lincoln Community College also operates in Magee. Housing here runs well below state and national benchmarks, making it one of the more affordable places to buy a home in the region, though the market has seen a modest recent decline in values. Rent data was not available.
The school serves grades six through eight as part of the Simpson County School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is modest for a middle school, and the student body is diverse in composition. A majority of students are Black, with a substantial share of White students and a small number of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian students. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals deep economic need across the population the school serves. Data on English learners and students with disabilities was not reported, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, the most recent results show a mixed and declining picture as students move through the grades. In math, sixth and seventh graders perform at a moderate level, with roughly half reaching proficiency. Eighth grade math drops sharply, with only about a quarter of students clearing the proficient bar. English language arts follows a weaker pattern, with fewer than a third of sixth graders proficient and the rate declining through seventh and eighth grades. Eighth grade science, the only science result available, lands in a middle range between the math and ELA figures. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a slide, a plateau, or typical year-to-year fluctuation. Participation rates were also not reported. A parent weighing these results may want to ask the school directly about its approach to eighth grade math and literacy, given the drop-off in those grades.
Beyond test scores, the available data thins out. No information was provided on course access, staffing ratios, attendance, discipline, or program offerings. Title I status was not reported, though the high rate of economic need would be consistent with such a designation. No civil rights data was included. The school does not serve high school grades, so graduation rate does not apply.
At the district level, families should be aware of an unresolved question about high school consolidation. Simpson County School District proposed merging Magee High School and Mendenhall High School into a single Simpson County High School, a plan that would have ended a decades-long athletic rivalry. A bond referendum to fund the new school was put before voters and rejected, leaving the consolidation plan and its financing uncertain. For families with children moving through Magee Middle toward high school, this is an open question worth monitoring, as it could shape the high school experience in coming years.
The town itself has weathered disruption. A tornado struck the north side of Magee in recent years, destroying dozens of homes and damaging the water treatment plant, and recovery efforts followed. The city has since invested in new civic infrastructure, including a city hall, police station, and civic center. The former cinema has been repurposed as an autism therapy provider, reflecting a community adapting its spaces to new needs.
What families get at Magee Middle is a small, economically disadvantaged middle school in an affordable, industrially anchored town with decent highway access to both Jackson and Hattiesburg. Academic results are strongest in the earlier middle grades and weakest in eighth grade, particularly in literacy. The gaps in available data on staffing, programs, and student support services mean a parent would need to go directly to the school for a fuller picture of what the daily experience offers.
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