MDE: Overall accountability grades for Mississippi public schools dipped in 2024-25

The Mississippi Department of Education has released accountability grades for the 2024-25 school year, showing a dip in achievement among public schools and districts.

In the previous school year, 80.1% of schools and 87.2% of districts earned a grade of C or higher. This represents a decrease from the 2023-24 school year when 85.7% of schools and 93.9% of districts earned a C or higher. In 2016, state education officials set a goal for all schools and districts to be rated C or higher. At that time, 62% of both schools and districts met that standard.

Mississippi currently has more than 1,000 public schools and 152 districts to oversee the educational facilities at the local level.

Statewide student assessment data make up a large part of accountability grades. The 2024-25 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results, released a month ago, showed both increases and decreases in proficiency rates across all grades and subjects.

In recent years, Mississippi has boasted major achievements in education, including a breakthrough in literacy rates, underscored by significant improvements in fourth and eighth-grade math and reading scores, record-breaking high school graduation rates, a downtick in dropouts, and school districts bettering their accountability grades. With the most recent accountability grades taking a turn, officials are preparing to sway momentum in a positive direction.

“While Mississippi has made historic progress over the past decade, the areas of declining achievement demand our immediate attention, “Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, said. “The accountability grades provide important data to guide our work moving forward. Mississippi students have proven they can achieve at higher levels, and we owe it to them to continue challenging and supporting them so every graduate is prepared for lifelong success.”

According to the Department of Education, Mississippi’s accountability grades are designed to help teachers, school leaders, parents, and communities know how well their local schools and districts serve their students. The components are based on state and federal law along with State Board of Education policy.

For the 2024-25 school year, those components include:

• Student proficiency and growth rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3-8
• Growth of the lowest performing 25% of students in ELA and mathematics
• Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8
• English Learners progress toward becoming proficient in the English language
• Performance on the ACT, ACT WorkKeys, and high school assessments in Algebra I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History
• Student performance in advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement, career and technical education programs, and dual credit/dual enrollment courses
• Four-year graduation rate

All four districts of transformation, or those that were taken over by the state due to a consistent failure to meet academic or financial requirements, saw a drop in letter grade in 2024-25 after making improvements in previous school years.

“Transforming districts that have struggled for years is complex work that does not happen overnight,” Evans said. “While we are disappointed to see declines in our Districts of Transformation this year, we cannot lose sight of the significant progress these communities have made. The MDE is committed to the long-term work of building sustainable systems that supports consistent and sustained student achievement.”

State law allows charter schools to apply to open in D or F-rated school districts. Nine districts earned a D or F grade this past academic calendar. Six of the state’s seven existing charter schools received D or F grades in the 2024-25 school year.

Plans by the state to address declining student achievement across the board include seeking legislative funding for an adolescent literacy initiative for grades 4-8 and a math initiative for grades 2-6, encouraging more districts to adopt high-quality instructional materials, and supporting the implementation of literacy instruction based on the science of reading.

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Mississippi education officials credit the recent rise in student achievement to the implementation of higher academic standards and the provision of statewide support to teachers. Other factors include the effective implementation of laws and policies that developed or strengthened early childhood education, literacy instruction, school and district accountability, and advanced learning opportunities for high school students.

“The foundation we have built over the past decade remains strong,” Evans added. “Higher academic standards, targeted support for teachers, and a strong accountability system have improved student achievement in Mississippi over the long term. This year’s results do not change our commitment to these proven strategies.”

Education officials, over the past year, have worked with stakeholders and technical experts to update the accountability system to raise the bar for school and district performance and to increase ways to measure how prepared pupils are for higher education and workforce opportunities.

For the current school year, the accountability model will include expanded college and career readiness measures, the elimination of the high school U.S. History assessment, and increased standards for assigning A-F grades. These standards will be finalized in late fall and will be used in addition to the current point system for earning accountability grades, per officials.

“We will maintain rigorous academic standards through new minimum proficiency targets while we expand recognition for graduation achievements and industry certifications that lead directly to good-paying jobs,” Evans concluded. “This balanced approach will ensure we are measuring what matters most for each student’s individual path to success.”