Whitten Middle School

Summary:

Whitten Middle School is a public middle school in Jackson, Mississippi, serving 338 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Jackson Public School District, which is ranked 110 out of 130 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Whitten Middle School has a predominantly African American student population, with over 83% of students identifying as such in the 2022-2023 school year.

Whitten Middle School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing middle schools in Mississippi, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science that are significantly lower than the state and district averages, often by 20-30 percentage points or more. This is likely due to the school's 100% free and reduced-price lunch rate, indicating that all of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Despite a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the school's academic performance remains poor, suggesting that a more comprehensive approach to resource allocation, teacher quality, and targeted interventions may be necessary to drive meaningful improvements.

When comparing Whitten Middle School to other middle schools in the Jackson Public School District, it becomes clear that the academic performance challenges are not unique to Whitten. Several nearby schools, such as Powell Middle School and Cardozo Middle School, also struggle with low proficiency rates and statewide rankings. However, the data also includes information about a nearby charter school, Joel E. Smilow Prep, which outperforms Whitten Middle School and the district as a whole in academic metrics, raising questions about the potential impact of school choice and alternative educational models on student outcomes in the Jackson area.

Detail:

Public 6-8

210 Daniel Lake Boulevard
Jackson, MS 39212

(601) 371-4309

District: Jackson Public School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
263^rd of 264 Mississippi Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,222

Students who attend Whitten Middle School usually attend:

High:

Wingfield High School

Feeder schools for Whitten Middle School:

Elementary:	Shirley Elementary School
	Sykes Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.1

Number of students: 301

Racial breakdown:

African American:

75.7%

Hispanic:

20.9%

Two or more races:

2.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Whitten Middle School ranks worse than 99.6% of middle schools in Mississippi. It also ranks 8^th among 9 ranked middle schools in the Jackson Public School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 2.44. (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 (75.7%), Hispanic (20.9%), two or more races (2.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Jackson Public School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Whitten Middle School is 10.1, which is the 3^rd best among 9 middle schools in the Jackson Public School District. (See more...)

Compare Whitten Middle School employs 29.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whitten Middle School is $16,222, which is the 4^th highest among 9 middle schools in the Jackson Public School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Whitten Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Whitten Middle School 263^rd of 264 Mississippi public middle schools. (See Whitten Middle School in the ranking list.)

Jackson Public School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Jackson Public School District 110^th of 130 Mississippi school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Whitten Middle School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MS State Percentile
2008	14.30	217^th	244	11.1%
2009	12.05	225^th	247	8.9%
2010	4.95	251^st	255	1.6%
2011	6.02	261^st	264	1.1%
2012	6.06	265^th	270	1.9%
2013	5.34	265^th	269	1.5%
2014	7.16	257^th	264	2.7%
2015	19.88	215^th	266	19.2%
2016	8.71	250^th	260	3.8%
2017	7.48	263^rd	272	3.3%
2018	5.29	249^th	252	1.2%
2019	7.06	257^th	264	2.7%
2021	7.83	246^th	257	4.3%
2022	7.12	248^th	257	3.5%
2023	10.87	226^th	243	7.0%
2024	2.44	263^rd	264	0.4%

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

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Enrollment information for Whitten Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	417	285	5	4	0	n/a	n/a	711
1991	400	294	4	0	0	n/a	n/a	698
1992	392	331	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	726
1993	381	362	5	1	0	n/a	n/a	749
1994	392	448	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	845
1995	367	452	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	829
1996	367	452	7	3	0	n/a	n/a	829
1997	330	446	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	787
1998	293	440	5	2	0	n/a	n/a	740
1999	246	493	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	744
2000	210	532	4	2	2	n/a	n/a	750
2001	163	590	6	2	0	n/a	n/a	761
2002	91	683	7	4	1	n/a	n/a	786
2003	91	683	7	4	1	n/a	n/a	786
2004	81	700	5	6	0	n/a	n/a	792
2005	55	809	3	7	0	n/a	n/a	874
2006	55	872	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	938
2007	29	809	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	849
2008	22	744	0	13	0	n/a	n/a	779
2009	21	764	0	9	0	0	0	794
2010	26	768	0	13	0	0	2	809
2011	24	692	0	10	0	0	1	727
2012	15	676	1	20	0	0	1	713
2013	14	536	0	25	0	0	2	577
2014	6	504	0	27	0	0	1	538
2015	8	498	0	23	0	0	2	531
2016	4	512	0	19	0	0	2	537
2017	6	494	0	21	0	0	3	524
2018	7	426	0	27	0	0	2	462
2019	3	378	0	36	0	0	2	419
2020	0	347	0	43	0	0	2	392
2021	0	332	0	48	0	0	5	385
2022	0	309	0	42	0	0	6	357
2023	3	281	0	46	0	0	8	338
2024	3	228	0	63	0	0	7	301

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 Whitten Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	711	37.5	18.9	n/a
1991	698	41.0	17.0	n/a
1992	726	42.0	17.2	61.2
1993	749	43.9	17.1	63.4
1994	845	46.8	18.1	63.4
1995	829	46.8	17.7	64.7
1996	829	46.8	17.7	64.7
1997	787	45.5	17.3	69.8
1998	740	47.3	15.6	69.2
1999	744	42.4	17.5	78
2000	750	47.0	16.0	78.7
2001	761	48.3	15.8	81.2
2002	786	46.7	16.8	83.1
2003	786	46.7	16.8	83.1
2004	792	49.5	16.0	78.2
2005	874	39.3	22.2	74.7
2006	938	39.4	23.8	88.1
2007	849	44.1	19.3	88.3
2008	779	44.8	17.4	89.6
2009	794	52.0	15.3	92.1
2010	809	48.0	16.8	94.3
2011	727	44.5	16.3	95.3
2012	713	43.3	16.4	94
2013	577	40.3	14.3	93.6
2014	538	32.5	16.5	95.9
2015	531	40.0	13.2	100
2016	537	45.0	11.9	100
2017	524	40.8	12.8	100
2018	462	37.7	12.2	100
2019	419	34.6	12.0	100
2020	392	34.3	11.3	100
2021	385	32.1	11.9	100
2022	357	32.7	10.8	100
2023	338	27.6	12.2	100
2024	301	29.6	10.1	100

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 Whitten Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	711	37.5	18.9	n/a
1991	698	41.0	17.0	n/a
1992	726	42.0	17.2	61.2
1993	749	43.9	17.1	63.4
1994	845	46.8	18.1	63.4
1995	829	46.8	17.7	64.7
1996	829	46.8	17.7	64.7
1997	787	45.5	17.3	69.8
1998	740	47.3	15.6	69.2
1999	744	42.4	17.5	78
2000	750	47.0	16.0	78.7
2001	761	48.3	15.8	81.2
2002	786	46.7	16.8	83.1
2003	786	46.7	16.8	83.1
2004	792	49.5	16.0	78.2
2005	874	39.3	22.2	74.7
2006	938	39.4	23.8	88.1
2007	849	44.1	19.3	88.3
2008	779	44.8	17.4	89.6
2009	794	52.0	15.3	92.1
2010	809	48.0	16.8	94.3
2011	727	44.5	16.3	95.3
2012	713	43.3	16.4	94
2013	577	40.3	14.3	93.6
2014	538	32.5	16.5	95.9
2015	531	40.0	13.2	100
2016	537	45.0	11.9	100
2017	524	40.8	12.8	100
2018	462	37.7	12.2	100
2019	419	34.6	12.0	100
2020	392	34.3	11.3	100
2021	385	32.1	11.9	100
2022	357	32.7	10.8	100
2023	338	27.6	12.2	100
2024	301	29.6	10.1	100

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 Whitten Middle School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2017	$9,364
2018	$11,491
2019	$12,155
2020	$12,269
2021	$14,060
2022	$16,222

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Whitten Middle School

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 257^th of 264 Middle schools	Ranks 226^th of 243 Middle schools	4.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Whitten Middle School)	5	14.6	9.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Jackson Public School District)	17.5	24	6.5%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	33.6	40.3	6.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Whitten Middle School)	17.3	20.1	2.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Jackson Public School District)	24.2	18.5	5.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	47.6	45.5	2.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Whitten Middle School)	12.2	22	9.8%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Jackson Public School District)	26.3	28.1	1.8%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	39	40.2	1.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Whitten Middle School)	12.4	34.4	22%
7th Grade Mathematics (Jackson Public School District)	29.6	32.5	2.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	51.1	55.6	4.5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Whitten Middle School)	15.3	12.5	2.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Jackson Public School District)	18.3	26.5	8.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	35.5	40.5	5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Whitten Middle School)	10.6	12.5	1.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Jackson Public School District)	19.5	20	0.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	44.8	46.1	1.3%
8th Grade Science (Whitten Middle School)	18.8	26.8	8%
8th Grade Science (Jackson Public School District)	27.6	32.6	5%
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	419	338	19.3%
African American	378	281	25.7%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	36	46	27.8%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	3	3
Two or More Races	2	8	300%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Whitten Middle School

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 Algebra I (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 Algebra I End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	Total
Whitten Middle School	Public	6-8	210 Daniel Lake Boulevard	Jackson	39212	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 371-4309	301	30	10.1	100.0%	3 (1.0%)	228 (75.7%)	63 (20.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	2.4	263^rd of 264 public middle schools	0.4%		10.9	226^th of 243 public middle schools	7.0%	37		8.9	9.4	7.0		9.8	12.0	13.0			14.0	$16,222
Peeples Middle School	Public	6-8	2940 Belvedere Drive	Jackson	39212	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 346-5660	273	27	9.9	100.0%	3 (1.1%)	266 (97.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	2.4	264^th of 264 public middle schools	0.0%					(n/a)		8.0	8.2	9.1		5.3	13.9	13.9			16.7	$16,823
Reimagine Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	309 W McDowell Rd	Jackson	39212	Hinds County	Reimagine Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(601) 941-0844	525	33	16.1	100.0%	2 (0.4%)	513 (97.7%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	23.9	203^rd of 264 public middle schools	23.1%		16.2	215^th of 243 public middle schools	11.5%	12	25.0	19.0	23.3	31.9	7.6	24.6	44.8	33.9		46.2	53.5	$14,041
Blackburn Middle School	Public	6-8	1311 W Pearl Street	Jackson	39203	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 960-5329	495	49	10.0	100.0%	3 (0.6%)	482 (97.4%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	4.1	261^st of 264 public middle schools	1.1%		6.3	238^th of 243 public middle schools	2.1%	23		9.3	9.5	17.0		8.0	16.7	18.4			24.1	$13,813
Cardozo Middle School	Public	6-8	3180 McDowell Rd Ext	Jackson	39204	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 346-5635	573	51	11.3	100.0%	12 (2.1%)	534 (93.2%)	20 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	5	260^th of 264 public middle schools	1.5%		6.6	237^th of 243 public middle schools	2.5%	23		14.0	16.2	12.8		14.6	19.8	14.6			18.1	$14,217
Bailey Middle Apac School	Public	6-8	1900 N State Street	Jackson	39202	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-5343	267	26	10.1	100.0%	17 (6.4%)	239 (89.5%)	3 (1.1%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	89	23^rd of 264 public middle schools	91.3%		91.1	12^th of 243 public middle schools	95.1%	11		57.1	64.8	70.0		73.6	71.7	63.8	100.0		82.5	$15,190
Byram Middle School	Public	6-8	2009 Byram Bulldog Blvd.	Terry	39170	Hinds County	Hinds County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 372-4597	810	50	16.1	61.1%	38 (4.7%)	749 (92.5%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.6%)	30.5	183^rd of 264 public middle schools	30.7%		42.5	132^nd of 243 public middle schools	45.7%	51		30.6	32.8	32.7		24.7	38.9	26.2	96.2		59.7	$9,951
Pearl Junior High School	Public	6-8	200 Mary Ann Drive	Pearl	39208	Rankin County	Pearl Public School District	No	No	No	No	(601) 932-7952	948	67	14.1	68.0%	415 (43.8%)	374 (39.5%)	79 (8.3%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	68 (7.2%)	50.5	130^th of 264 public middle schools	50.8%		53.1	106^th of 243 public middle schools	56.4%	24		38.4	37.9	38.0		47.4	55.8	48.8	100.0		56.8	$9,631
Powell Middle School	Public	6-8	3655 Livingston Road	Jackson	39213	Hinds County	Jackson Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(601) 987-3580	372	36	10.3	100.0%	3 (0.8%)	362 (97.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	3.6	262^nd of 264 public middle schools	0.8%		5.4	241^st of 243 public middle schools	0.8%	21		10.5	15.5	12.9		4.0	14.3	16.7			18.8	$15,619
Joel E. Smilow Prep	Public, Charter	5-8	787 E. Northside Drive	Jackson	39206	Hinds County	Joel E. Smillow Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(769) 524-5330	564	33	16.9	100.0%	2 (0.4%)	557 (98.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	24.8	197^th of 264 public middle schools	25.4%		18.2	208^th of 243 public middle schools	14.4%	11	35.2	18.8	24.3	30.7	34.5	10.4	37.3	57.3		67.3	47.6	$11,532

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitten Middle School

Is Whitten Middle School a good school?

Whitten Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Mississippi middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Whitten Middle School?

Students at Whitten Middle School are 76% African American, 21% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Whitten Middle School attend?

Students who attend Whitten Middle School usually go on to attend Wingfield High School

How many students attend Whitten Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 301 students attended Whitten Middle School.

What district is Whitten Middle School in?

Jackson Public School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Mississippi Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.