More than half of Mississippi schools and districts earned an A or B under newly raised accountability standards for the 2025-26 school year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.
MDE reported Thursday that 53.9% of schools and 50.7% of districts received an A or B. The grades are the first issued under higher performance standards approved by the State Board of Education in November 2025.
Because the grading thresholds changed, MDE said this year’s results should not be directly compared with previous years.
State law requires Mississippi to raise performance standards when student proficiency exceeds certain thresholds or when at least 65% of schools or districts earn a B or higher. That benchmark was reached in 2023, when 74% of schools and 71% of districts earned an A or B.
“Raising academic standards is required by state law because it is an essential part of ensuring Mississippi students and schools continue to improve academically each year,” State Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans said.
Thirty-one of Mississippi’s 148 school districts earned an A for 2025-26. The five districts with the highest point totals were Bay St. Louis-Waveland, Clinton, Long Beach, Ocean Springs and Enterprise.
Under the new system, 79.7% of schools and 82.4% of districts earned at least a C.
MDE said some schools and districts may have received a lower letter grade this year even if their performance stayed the same or improved because the point requirements for each grade increased.
Accountability grades are based on several measures, including proficiency and growth in English language arts and mathematics, science performance, English learner progress, graduation rates and college- and career-readiness indicators.
A new Readiness Index for high schools and districts also considers ACT, SAT, WorkKeys and ASVAB results, Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses, career and technical education programs, industry certifications and diploma endorsements.
Statewide assessment results released in August showed continued growth in science, stable English language arts performance and a slight decline in math proficiency.
Among Mississippi’s six Districts of Transformation, Holmes County Consolidated and Noxubee County school districts have maintained grades of C or higher. Districts of Transformation are placed under state control because of chronic academic, financial, governance or operational problems.
Sixteen traditional school districts and eight of Mississippi’s nine charter schools received a D or F for 2025-26.
MDE said parents and community members should review the individual components behind each school or district grade to better understand performance in areas such as academic growth, graduation and college and career readiness.
School- and district-level accountability results are available through the Mississippi Department of Education’s public reporting system.