Petal Middle School

Petal Middle School is one of the reasonably sized intermediate schools in PETAL, Mississippi, overseen by Petal School District, with 645 students on its rolls from grades 7 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 452 students per school, that is 43% larger than typical.

Petal School District runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 4,253 students. Petal Middle School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Petal Middle School reports that the largest single group is White, at 72% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school records 18% Black, 6% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 57% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, Petal Middle School lists 50 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 60% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Forrest County runs at roughly 79%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Forrest County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $53,640 per year, about 31% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. In all, Forrest County runs 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 10,857 students), of which Petal Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Petal Upper Elementary, around 0.8 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Petal Middle School operates from an outer-ring location.

Looking at the recent track record. Petal Middle School's enrollment has increased 4% since 2018, when it stood at 619 (now 645). The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 11.2:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 today.

Inside the community feed, members of the Petal Middle School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.