
In many areas, Mississippi lags behind other states, and education is one of them. However, despite the state’s issues, there are a handful of public school districts in the Magnolia State that stack up nicely against the best in the nation. Here’s a look at Mississippi’s five best school districts.
Ocean Springs School District is the best public school system in Mississippi. Consisting of six schools and an alternative education center in the coastal city of Ocean Springs, OCCD has a stellar track record: each of its schools has an “A” rating from the Mississippi Department of Education. The district’s students aren’t too shabby, either, with the Class of 2019 bringing in over $19 million in scholarship money.
Earning the #2 spot in the ranking is Clinton Public School District, comprising four elementary schools, one junior high, one ninth-grade school, and a high school in the city of Clinton in the Jackson metropolitan area. The district boasts an 86% graduation rate and 63% of its students are proficient in math.
Mississippi's 3rd best school system is Oxford School District, a medium-sized district of six schools with a total enrollment of around 4,300. OSD students earned Mississippi Academic Assessment Program scores which are among the highest-ranking in the state.
Placing 4th is Biloxi Public School District, an “A” rated district serving students of the coastal city of Biloxi. BPSD schools have received a number of national and state awards honoring their excellent performance, including a National Blue Ribbon award for Biloxi High.
Tupelo Public School District rounds out the list of Mississippi’s best school districts. The large district of fourteen schools serves an enrollment of nearly 7,000 students while maintaining a high standard of academic performance. TPSD’s graduation rate of 88% is above state and national averages, and over 50% of the district’s students are on the Honor Roll.
Top School Districts in Mississippi, 2020
Rank School District City
1 Ocean Springs School Dist Ocean Springs
2 Clinton Public School Dist Clinton
3 Oxford School District Oxford
4 Biloxi Public School Dist Biloxi
5 Tupelo Public School Dist Tupelo
6 Gulfport School Dist Gulfport
7 Petal School Dist Petal
8 Pascagoula-Gautier School District Pascagoula
9 Lowndes Co School Dist Columbus
10 Pearl Public School District Pearl
11 Lauderdale Co School Dist Meridian
12 Starkville- Oktibbeha Cons Dist Starkville
13 Long Beach School Dist Long Beach
14 Lee County School District Tupelo
15 Union Co School Dist New Albany
16 George Co School Dist Lucedale
17 Hinds Co School Dist Raymond
18 Pearl River Co School Dist Carriere
19 Enterprise School Dist Enterprise
20 Grenada School Dist Grenada
21 Booneville School Dist Booneville
22 Neshoba County School District Philadelphia
23 South Panola School District Batesville
24 Hancock Co School Dist Kiln
25 Tishomingo Co Sp Mun Sch Dist Iuka
26 Pass Christian Public School Dist Pass Christian
27 Alcorn School Dist Corinth
28 Stone Co School Dist Wiggins
29 Monroe Co School Dist Amory
30 Lincoln County School District Brookhaven
31 Lafayette Co School Dist Oxford
32 Newton County School District Decatur
33 Scott Co School Dist Forest
34 Itawamba County School Dist Fulton
35 Webster Co School Dist Eupora
36 Amory School Dist Amory
37 West Point Consolidated School Dist West Point
38 New Albany Public Schools New Albany
39 Bay St Louis Waveland School Dist Bay St. Louis
40 Pontotoc Co School Dist Pontotoc
41 North Pike School Dist Summit
42 Smith Co School Dist Raleigh
43 Calhoun Co School Dist Pittsboro
44 Prentiss Co School Dist Booneville
45 Pontotoc City Schools Pontotoc
46 Picayune School District Picayune
47 Columbia School District Columbia
48 Simpson Co School Dist Mendenhall
49 Corinth School Dist Corinth
50 West Jasper Consolidated Schools Bay Springs
51 Greene County School District Leakesville
52 Poplarville Separate School Dist Poplarville
53 Union Public School Dist Union
54 Kosciusko School District Kosciusko
55 South Tippah School Dist Ripley
56 Louisville Municipal School Dist Louisville
57 Baldwyn School District Baldwyn
58 Tate Co School Dist Coldwater
59 Houston School Dist Houston
60 Cleveland School Dist Cleveland
61 Tunica County School District Tunica
62 Franklin Co School Dist Meadville
63 Claiborne Co School Dist Port Gibson
64 Copiah Co School Dist Hazlehurst
65 Greenville Public Schools Greenville
66 Senatobia Municipal School Dist Senatobia
67 North Tippah School Dist Tiplersville
68 Meridian Public Schools Meridian
69 Western Line School District Avon
70 Water Valley School District Water Valley
71 Natchez-Adams School District Natchez
72 Kemper Co School Dist Dekalb
73 Lawrence Co School Dist Monticello
74 Wayne Co School Dist Waynesboro
75 Columbus Municipal School Dist Columbus
76 Marion Co School Dist Columbia
77 Covington County School District Collins
78 Marshall Co School Dist Holly Springs
79 Laurel School District Laurel
80 Hattiesburg Public School Dist Hattiesburg
81 Sunflower Cty Cons School District Indianola
82 Holly Springs School Dist Holly Springs
83 Choctaw Co School Dist Ackerman
84 Leake Co School Dist Carthage
85 Yazoo Co School Dist Yazoo City
86 Nettleton School Dist Nettleton
87 Forrest County Ag High School Brooklyn
88 East Jasper Consolidated Sch Dist Heidelberg
89 Canton Public School Dist Canton
90 Jefferson Davis Co School Dist Prentiss
91 Quitman Co School Dist Marks
92 Attala Co School Dist Kosciusko
93 Forest Municipal School Dist Forest
94 South Delta School District Rolling Fork
95 Chickasaw Co School Dist Houlka
96 Benton Co School Dist Ashland
97 Brookhaven School Dist Brookhaven
98 Walthall Co School Dist Tylertown
99 Leflore Co School Dist Greenwood
100 Coahoma Early College Clarksdale
Methodology
The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.
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