Is Olive Branch Middle a good school?

Olive Branch Middle ranks 113 th of 264 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Olive Branch Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 714 students attended Olive Branch Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Olive Branch Middle?

Students at Olive Branch Middle are 53% African American, 29% White, 11% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Olive Branch Middle attend?

Students who attend Olive Branch Middle usually go on to attend Olive Branch High School

Olive Branch Middle

Summary:

Olive Branch Middle is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Desoto County School District in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with a student population of 726 that is predominantly African American and White.

While Olive Branch Middle has a relatively low student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools, its academic performance lags behind other middle schools in the district. The school's test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are consistently lower than the Desoto County and Mississippi state averages, with proficiency rates ranging from 34.9% to 65% compared to 45.5% to 46.9% for the district and 39.7% to 42% for the state. Additionally, Olive Branch Middle has an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. When compared to other middle schools in the district, such as Hernando Middle and Desoto Central Middle, which are both ranked in the top 25 middle schools in Mississippi, Olive Branch Middle performs significantly worse on standardized tests.

The racial makeup of Olive Branch Middle is more diverse than some of the nearby schools, with a higher percentage of African American and Hispanic students, suggesting that the school may be serving a more economically disadvantaged population, which could contribute to the lower academic performance. Additionally, Olive Branch Middle's ranking and star rating from SchoolDigger have declined over the past few years, going from a 4-star school ranked in the top 50 in 2016-2017 to a 3-star school ranked 113th in 2023-2024, indicating that the school may be facing challenges in maintaining or improving its academic performance.

Detail:

Public 6-8

6530 S. Blocker Street
Olive Branch, MS 38654

(662) 895-4610

District: Desoto County School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
113^th of 264 Mississippi Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,308

Students who attend Olive Branch Middle usually attend:

High:

Olive Branch High School

Feeder schools for Olive Branch Middle:

Elementary:	Chickasaw Elementary School
	Olive Branch Elementary
	Olive Branch Intermediate School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.0

Number of students: 714

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.4%

White:

29.3%

Two or more races:

11.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60.8%

See top rated Mississippi middle schools

Compare Olive Branch Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Olive Branch Middle ranks better than 57.2% of middle schools in Mississippi. It also ranks 5^th among 8 ranked middle schools in the Desoto County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 56.68. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (53.4%), White (29.3%), two or more races (11.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 60.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Olive Branch Middle is 15, which is the 3^rd best among 8 middle schools in the Desoto County School District. (See more...)

Compare Olive Branch Middle employs 47.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Olive Branch Middle is $10,308, which is the highest among 8 middle schools in the Desoto County School District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Olive Branch Middle was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Olive Branch Middle 113^th of 264 Mississippi public middle schools. (See Olive Branch Middle in the ranking list.)

Desoto County School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Desoto County School District 33^rd of 130 Mississippi school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Olive Branch Middle.

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Rank History for Olive Branch Middle

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MS State Percentile
2008	77.51	42^nd	244	82.8%
2009	81.92	33^rd	247	86.6%
2010	75.01	51^st	255	80.0%
2011	64.71	95^th	264	64.0%
2012	73.23	66^th	270	75.6%
2013	87.82	19^th	269	92.9%
2014	67.88	78^th	264	70.5%
2015	79.35	46^th	266	82.7%
2016	84.70	28^th	260	89.2%
2017	83.36	38^th	272	86.0%
2018	78.96	47^th	252	81.3%
2019	63.55	93^rd	264	64.8%
2021	68.18	80^th	257	68.9%
2022	72.41	64^th	257	75.1%
2023	64.86	82^nd	243	66.3%
2024	56.68	113^th	264	57.2%

See the entire list of Mississippi Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Mississippi Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.5)

25%

50%

25%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Great school with teachers who care. I've had three children go through OBMS. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

I had an 8th grader for the 2012-2013 school year and have had two other children go through this school. I believe the school provided my older children with a good education. I am very pleased with the education received by my youngest. Middle school ages are the hardest any child experiences and there will always be issues with that more so than the school itself. The administration changed this year and there has been a revival of sorts at the school. There has been improved communication from the school and teachers. There has been more activities and opportunities for the kids to receive recognition of their hard work. There seems to be more interest in the welfare and education of the student body than there was previously. I feel that the education my children received has prepared them to excel in high school. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, February 15, 2009

If your child already excells, then they will be bored as this school system offers little to challenge your child. if you child struggles, they will ignore you until your child has already been held back twice and is failing everything. Lack of communication between the schools and parents hinder student success. Teachers are unwilling to reach out and help children and parents work together for the child's success. They are just punching time clocks. We've been with the schools two years and it only gets worse the lower the level (elementary). Close Quote

Enrollment information for Olive Branch Middle

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	621	308	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	929
1991	525	268	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	793
1992	621	292	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	913
1993	691	280	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	971
1994	763	274	2	2	1	n/a	n/a	1042
1995	669	197	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	870
1996	669	197	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	870
1997	765	208	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	979
1998	846	229	2	2	1	n/a	n/a	1080
1999	910	241	4	4	0	n/a	n/a	1159
2000	977	261	1	7	0	n/a	n/a	1246
2001	993	289	2	14	2	n/a	n/a	1300
2002	1043	325	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	1398
2003	1043	325	4	26	0	n/a	n/a	1398
2004	1112	331	10	35	0	n/a	n/a	1488
2005	1127	382	12	40	2	n/a	n/a	1563
2006	962	405	11	53	2	n/a	n/a	1433
2007	569	267	3	43	0	n/a	n/a	882
2008	534	271	9	46	1	n/a	n/a	861
2009	517	277	9	55	1	0	0	859
2010	553	287	10	63	2	0	0	915
2011	545	279	9	64	1	0	0	898
2012	512	289	12	53	0	1	0	867
2013	481	290	10	44	0	0	2	827
2014	463	316	10	43	0	0	0	832
2015	447	330	14	62	0	2	9	864
2016	408	314	12	54	0	1	9	798
2017	397	337	12	48	0	1	18	813
2018	376	326	14	35	0	2	32	785
2019	345	361	10	46	1	1	49	813
2020	304	373	18	53	0	1	67	816
2021	286	384	17	47	0	1	72	807
2022	273	377	12	47	0	1	74	784
2023	231	371	6	35	0	1	82	726
2024	209	381	10	32	0	0	82	714

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Olive Branch Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	929	50.1	18.5	n/a
1991	793	43.3	18.3	n/a
1992	913	48.0	19.0	24.3
1993	971	46.8	20.7	25.1
1994	1042	51.5	20.2	23.5
1995	870	41.7	20.9	21.1
1996	870	41.7	20.9	21.1
1997	979	45.7	21.4	21.5
1998	1080	48.6	22.2	20.8
1999	1159	53.3	21.7	26
2000	1246	56.0	22.3	27
2001	1300	59.7	21.8	28.1
2002	1398	78.3	17.9	28.7
2003	1398	78.3	17.9	28.7
2004	1488	89.4	16.6	22.4
2005	1563	85.0	18.4	27.8
2006	1433	83.8	17.1	62.2
2007	882	67.7	13.0	39.5
2008	861	65.0	13.2	40.3
2009	859	56.9	15.1	41.7
2010	915	52.8	17.3	46.4
2011	898	57.2	15.6	47.1
2012	867	52.3	16.5	41.3
2013	827	52.7	15.6	53.8
2014	832	52.4	15.8	56.7
2015	864	46.0	18.7	58.9
2016	798	52.0	15.3	57
2017	813	50.7	16.0	57.9
2018	785	46.2	16.9	55.7
2019	813	49.5	16.4	59.5
2020	816	45.6	17.8	59.1
2021	807	55.1	14.6	99.6
2022	784	57.2	13.6	99.6
2023	726	50.0	14.5	99.6
2024	714	47.5	15.0	60.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Olive Branch Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	929	50.1	18.5	n/a
1991	793	43.3	18.3	n/a
1992	913	48.0	19.0	24.3
1993	971	46.8	20.7	25.1
1994	1042	51.5	20.2	23.5
1995	870	41.7	20.9	21.1
1996	870	41.7	20.9	21.1
1997	979	45.7	21.4	21.5
1998	1080	48.6	22.2	20.8
1999	1159	53.3	21.7	26
2000	1246	56.0	22.3	27
2001	1300	59.7	21.8	28.1
2002	1398	78.3	17.9	28.7
2003	1398	78.3	17.9	28.7
2004	1488	89.4	16.6	22.4
2005	1563	85.0	18.4	27.8
2006	1433	83.8	17.1	62.2
2007	882	67.7	13.0	39.5
2008	861	65.0	13.2	40.3
2009	859	56.9	15.1	41.7
2010	915	52.8	17.3	46.4
2011	898	57.2	15.6	47.1
2012	867	52.3	16.5	41.3
2013	827	52.7	15.6	53.8
2014	832	52.4	15.8	56.7
2015	864	46.0	18.7	58.9
2016	798	52.0	15.3	57
2017	813	50.7	16.0	57.9
2018	785	46.2	16.9	55.7
2019	813	49.5	16.4	59.5
2020	816	45.6	17.8	59.1
2021	807	55.1	14.6	99.6
2022	784	57.2	13.6	99.6
2023	726	50.0	14.5	99.6
2024	714	47.5	15.0	60.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Olive Branch Middle

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2017	$7,233
2018	$7,231
2019	$7,424
2020	$8,632
2021	$8,093
2022	$10,308

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Olive Branch Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 93^rd of 264 Middle schools	Ranks 82^nd of 243 Middle schools	1.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Olive Branch Middle)	29.3	38.3	9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Desoto County School District)	39.8	45	5.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	33.6	40.3	6.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Olive Branch Middle)	48.9	42.8	6.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Desoto County School District)	64.4	53.2	11.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	47.6	45.5	2.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Olive Branch Middle)	46.2	35.5	10.7%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Desoto County School District)	45.8	44.1	1.7%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	39	40.2	1.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Olive Branch Middle)	68.6	65.1	3.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Desoto County School District)	69	69.6	0.6%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	51.1	55.6	4.5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Olive Branch Middle)	37.7	45.1	7.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Desoto County School District)	44.3	47.4	3.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	35.5	40.5	5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Olive Branch Middle)	50.4	61.2	10.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Desoto County School District)	63.5	61.7	1.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	44.8	46.1	1.3%
8th Grade Science (Olive Branch Middle)	48.2	60.5	12.3%
8th Grade Science (Desoto County School District)	63.3	60.9	2.4%
8th Grade Science (Mississippi)	52.7	53.3	0.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	813	726	10.7%
African American	361	371	2.8%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	10	6	40%
Hispanic	46	35	23.9%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	345	231	33%
Two or More Races	49	82	67.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	59.5%	99.6%	40.1%

Schools Near Olive Branch Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAAP English Language Arts (2024)				MAAP Mathematics (2024)				MAAP Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	Total
Olive Branch Middle	Public	6-8	6530 S. Blocker Street	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 895-4610	714	48	15.0	60.8%	209 (29.3%)	381 (53.4%)	32 (4.5%)	10 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (11.5%)	56.7	113^th of 264 public middle schools	57.2%		64.9	82^nd of 243 public middle schools	66.3%	31		34.9	43.7	39.1		42.5	65.0	61.0		57.8	$10,308
Center Hill Middle	Public	6-8	8756 Forest Hill Irene	Olive Branch	38654	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 892-6800	768	45	17.0	41.5%	280 (36.5%)	357 (46.5%)	41 (5.3%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (9.2%)	84.9	30^th of 264 public middle schools	88.6%		84	31^st of 243 public middle schools	87.2%	1		57.6	50.2	54.0		71.2	68.8	78.7		72.1	$9,351
Desoto Central Middle School	Public	6-8	2611 Central Parkway	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 349-6660	1,407	80	17.5	37.2%	470 (33.4%)	651 (46.3%)	58 (4.1%)	56 (4.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	169 (12.0%)	89.2	22^nd of 264 public middle schools	91.7%		90.7	14^th of 243 public middle schools	94.2%	8		50.8	59.1	62.3		75.0	79.7	76.1		73.7	$8,176
Lewisburg Middle	Public	6-8	2605 Hwy. 305 South	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 892-5050	1,005	55	18.1	16.5%	771 (76.7%)	109 (10.8%)	34 (3.4%)	17 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	72 (7.2%)	95.8	4^th of 264 public middle schools	98.5%		96.7	2^nd of 243 public middle schools	99.2%	2		64.0	64.8	64.1		84.3	93.6	85.0		80.3	$8,768
Byhalia Middle School (5-8)	Public	5-8	172 Highway 309 North	Byhalia	38611	Marshall County	Marshall County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 838-2591	419	27	15.4	100.0%	99 (23.6%)	181 (43.2%)	105 (25.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.1%)	25.9	195^th of 264 public middle schools	26.1%		28.9	166^th of 243 public middle schools	31.7%	29	34.4	27.1	20.4	38.0	31.2	27.9	31.7	41.3	55.9	50.0	$8,420
Southaven Middle School	Public	6-8	899 Rasco Road	Southaven	38671	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 280-0422	1,451	91	15.9	70.2%	240 (16.5%)	872 (60.1%)	149 (10.3%)	17 (1.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	169 (11.6%)	22.4	206^th of 264 public middle schools	22.0%		22.7	187^th of 243 public middle schools	23.0%	19		25.4	28.8	25.9		30.2	43.1	27.2		45.2	$8,651
Horn Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	6125 Hurt Road	Horn Lake	38637	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 393-7443	993	70	14.1	78.7%	129 (13.0%)	710 (71.5%)	76 (7.7%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	70 (7.0%)	31	182^nd of 264 public middle schools	31.1%		33.6	157^th of 243 public middle schools	35.4%	25		28.4	27.1	29.0		35.5	43.9	51.1		47.3	$9,195
Hernando Middle School	Public	6-8	700 Dilworth Lane	Hernando	38632	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	No	(662) 429-4154	1,147	67	17.2	24.6%	846 (73.8%)	139 (12.1%)	45 (3.9%)	13 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	103 (9.0%)	93.8	7^th of 264 public middle schools	97.3%		96.3	3^rd of 243 public middle schools	98.8%	4		66.1	66.2	59.7		79.5	87.3	85.1		73.8	$8,350
Lake Cormorant Middle	Public	6-8	3203 Wilson Mill Road	Lake Cormorant	38641	DeSoto County	Desoto County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 781-0778	712	49	14.4	73.7%	239 (33.6%)	338 (47.5%)	67 (9.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (8.7%)	49.4	134^th of 264 public middle schools	49.2%		51.4	110^th of 243 public middle schools	54.7%	24		35.5	40.1	32.3		50.5	66.7	49.4		49.5	$9,839

Olive Branch Middle

Desoto County School District:

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Rank History for Olive Branch Middle

Review counts

Enrollment information for Olive Branch Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Olive Branch Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Olive Branch Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Olive Branch Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Olive Branch Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Olive Branch Middle