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Schools›Mississippi›Canton
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MADISON COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 280279000989

Shirley D. Simmons Middle School

820 Sulphur Springs Road, Canton, MS 39046 · (601) 855-2406 · Madison County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL124 STUDENTS
Enrollment
124
Middle
DISTRICT 751 · STATE 452
Student : Teacher
6.4:1
19 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.2:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
117 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 80%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Grade 6
32
Grade 7
53
Grade 8
39
Student demographics
Hispanic
11%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 7%
Black
12198%
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 45%
Two+
22%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 6%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
6048%
Female
6452%

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Test scores

MAAP 2023-24 . % Proficient + Advanced
English Language Arts
38.1%
MS avg 45.9% . -6.3pp since 2022
Math
50.0%
MS avg 52.8% . -17.9pp since 2022
Source: MAAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
124
-47 (-27%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
6.4:1
was 7.4:1
% White
0%
was 1%
% Hispanic
1%
was 1%
% Black
98%
was 98%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Shirley D. Simmons Middle School

As a rural-scale 6-8 campus in Canton, Mississippi, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School teaches 124 students from grades 6 through 8, part of Madison County Schools. By comparison, Mississippi's public schools average about 452 students each, so Shirley D. Simmons Middle School sits 73% leaner than that benchmark.

Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is one of 21 schools operated by Madison County Schools, a district that hosts 12,926 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School reports that 98% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 37%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 6.4:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. An estimated 94% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Madison County runs at roughly 52%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

Across the wider county, census data for Madison County shows median household earnings sit near $83,441, about 50% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is one of 34 public schools in Madison County (combined enrollment of about 16,432 students).

The closest other public school is Camden Elementary, roughly 1.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Over the past 7-year window. Shirley D. Simmons Middle School's enrollment has shrank 27% since 2018, when it stood at 171 (now 124).

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

Madison County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
111,647
Census ACS
Median income
$83,441
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
50%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
34
16,432 students

Quick facts

School name
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School
District
Madison County Schools
Address
820 Sulphur Springs Road, Canton, MS 39046
Phone
(601) 855-2406
County
Madison County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
124
Teachers (FTE)
19
Student–teacher ratio
6.4:1
Free/Reduced lunch
117 (94%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
280279000989
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Madison County Schools
Other schools in Canton
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Shirley D. Simmons Middle School
How many students attend Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School enrolls approximately 124 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Shirley D. Simmons Middle School serve?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Shirley D. Simmons Middle School have?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School employs 19 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 6.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
Student demographics at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School are roughly 1% Hispanic, 98% Black, 2% Two or more.
What district is Shirley D. Simmons Middle School in?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is part of Madison County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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