With its rich traditions of hearty southern cuisine and soulful delta blues and gospel music, and status as the birthplace of some of the most important American figures of the past century, including rock n’ roll pioneer Elvis Presley, media icon Oprah Winfrey, and legendary playwright Tennessee Williams, Mississippi has a lot to be proud of. The Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of School Improvement’s focus on raising the performance of the state’s public schools ensures that many more Mississippians will join past notable Mississippians in making a lasting impact on American culture.

Mississippi’s top public school system is the Madison County School District, with over 10,000 students in the communities of Flora, Madison, parts of Jackson and other areas of Madison County. The district’s impressive 85.6% graduation rate is well above the statewide average.

The Clinton Public School District in Clinton, MS places at #2 on the list. Due to the students’ proficiency in a broad range of subjects and high grad rate, CPSD earned an “A” accountability grade through the state’s Department of Education.

Ranking third is Pontotoc City School District, comprising two elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. PCSD students regularly excel in a wide range of areas, earning their district the distinction of being “A” level.

The list of Mississippi’s top five school districts is filled out by Enterprise School District (#4), which received the Beacon Award at the 2018 at the 46th annual MSBA conference, followed by Lamar County School District, which received its first “A” rating for the 16-17 school year.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?