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.

Top School Districts in Mississippi, 2018

State RankSchool DistrictState
1Madison County School DistrictMississippi
2Clinton Public School DistrictMississippi
3Pontotoc City SchoolsMississippi
4Enterprise School DistrictMississippi
5Lamar County School DistrictMississippi
6Rankin County School DistrictMississippi
7Desoto County School DistrictMississippi
8Petal School DistrictMississippi
9Oxford School DistrictMississippi
10Long Beach School DistrictMississippi
11Pass Christian Public School DistrictMississippi
12Tishomingo County Sp Mun Sch DistrictMississippi
13New Albany Public SchoolsMississippi
14Kosciusko School DistrictMississippi
15Ocean Springs School DistrictMississippi
16Hancock County School DistrictMississippi
17Pearl River County School DistrictMississippi
18Harrison County School DistrictMississippi
19Monroe County School DistrictMississippi
20Union Public School DistrictMississippi
21Lowndes County School DistrictMississippi
22Tupelo Public School DistrictMississippi
23Pearl Public School DistrictMississippi
24Jackson County School DistrictMississippi
25Senatobia Municipal School DistrictMississippi
26Lee County School DistrictMississippi
27Corinth School DistrictMississippi
28Alcorn School DistrictMississippi
29Pontotoc County School DistrictMississippi
30Newton County School DistrictMississippi
31Union County School DistrictMississippi
32Lauderdale County School DistrictMississippi
33Biloxi Public School DistrictMississippi
34George County School DistrictMississippi
35Booneville School DistrictMississippi
36Lafayette County School DistrictMississippi
37Webster County School DistrictMississippi
38Lawrence County School DistrictMississippi
39Stone County School DistrictMississippi
40Amory School DistrictMississippi
41Itawamba County School DistrictMississippi
42Bay St Louis Waveland School DistrictMississippi
43Neshoba County School DistrictMississippi
44Prentiss County School DistrictMississippi
45North Pike School DistrictMississippi
46Jones County School DistrictMississippi
47Grenada School DistrictMississippi
48Poplarville Separate School DistrictMississippi
49South Tippah School DistrictMississippi
50Lincoln County School DistrictMississippi
51Hinds County School DistrictMississippi
52Gulfport School DistrictMississippi
53Choctaw County School DistrictMississippi
54Smith County School DistrictMississippi
55Winona Separate School DistrictMississippi
56Baldwyn School DistrictMississippi
57Chickasaw County School DistrictMississippi
58Simpson County School DistrictMississippi
59Richton School DistrictMississippi
60Brookhaven School DistrictMississippi
61Calhoun County School DistrictMississippi
62Greene County School DistrictMississippi
63Water Valley School DistrictMississippi
64South Panola School DistrictMississippi
65Scott County School DistrictMississippi
66Columbia School DistrictMississippi
67Pascagoula School DistrictMississippi
68Forrest County School DistrictMississippi
69Tate County School DistrictMississippi
70Houston School DistrictMississippi
71North Tippah School DistrictMississippi
72Wayne County School DistrictMississippi
73Carroll County School DistrictMississippi
74Franklin County School DistrictMississippi
75Picayune School DistrictMississippi
76Louisville Municipal School DistrictMississippi
77Laurel School DistrictMississippi
78Marion County School DistrictMississippi
79South Delta School DistrictMississippi
80Vicksburg Warren School DistrictMississippi
81Cleveland School DistrictMississippi
82West Jasper Consolidated SchoolsMississippi
83Nettleton School DistrictMississippi
84East Jasper Consolidated Sch DistrictMississippi
85Jackson Public School DistrictMississippi
86Yazoo County School DistrictMississippi
87Forest Municipal School DistrictMississippi
88Jefferson Davis County School DistrictMississippi
89Quitman School DistrictMississippi
90Marshall County School DistrictMississippi
91Copiah County School DistrictMississippi
92Tunica County School DistrictMississippi
93Philadelphia Public School DistrictMississippi
94Benton County School DistrictMississippi
95Columbus Municipal School DistrictMississippi
96Okolona Separate School DistrictMississippi
97Greenwood Public School DistrictMississippi
98Wilkinson County School DistrictMississippi
99Hattiesburg Public School DistrictMississippi
100Canton Public School DistrictMississippi

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.

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