The number of school districts that received an A in the Mississippi Department of Education’s release of accountability grades for the 2022-23 school year increased by 12 —  a 26% increase compared to the year before.

Also showing signs of improvement were the number of school districts that received a D or lower in accountability scores.

On Thursday, the MDE released accountability grades for the 2022-23 school year. In this year’s report, 57 Mississippi school districts received an A compared to 45 school districts in the 2021-22 school year.

Here is a list of the school districts that received an A in this year’s report:

Ocean Springs School District	A
Long Beach School District	A
Clinton Public School District	A
Petal School District	A
Neshoba County School District	A
Enterprise School District	A
Union County School District	A
Madison County School District	A
Forrest County Agricultural High School	A
Biloxi Public School District	A
Bay St Louis Waveland School District	A
Pass Christian Public School District	A
Lafayette County School District	A
New Albany Public School District	A
Jackson County School District	A
Rankin County School District	A
Union Public School District	A
Hancock County School District	A
Lauderdale County School District	A
Harrison County School District	A
Monroe County School District	A
Newton County School District	A
Greene County School District	A
Stone County School District	A
South Tippah School District	A
Lamar County School District	A
Choctaw County School District	A
Desoto County School District	A
Grenada School District	A
Gulfport School District	A
Prentiss County School District	A
Oxford School District	A
Amory School District	A
Tishomingo County School District	A
Pearl Public School District	A
Itawamba County School District	A
Booneville School District	A
Poplarville Separate School District	A
Lowndes County School District	A
Hattiesburg Public School District	A
Chickasaw County School District	A
George County School District	A
Kosciusko School District	A
Pascagoula Gautier School District	A
Pearl River County School District	A
Tupelo Public School District	A
Webster County School District	A
Pontotoc County School District	A
Lincoln County School District	A
Forrest County School District	A
Alcorn School District	A
Jones County School District	A
Columbia School District	A
Senatobia Municipal School District	A
Smith County School District	A
Attala County School District	A
Pontotoc City School District	A

The number of school districts that received Ds and Fs in this year’s accountability report dropped 30% this year — from 17 school districts in the 2021-22 school year to 12 school districts in this year’s report.

Below is a list of the school districts that received a D or F in the 2022-23 school year.

Humphreys County School District	D
Clarksdale Municipal School District	D
North Bolivar Consolidated School District	D
Clarksdale Collegiate Charter School	D
Smilow Prep Charter School	D
Reimagine Prep Charter School	D
East Tallahatchie Consolidated School District	F
West Bolivar Consolidated School District	F
Yazoo City Municipal School District	F
Joel E. Smilow Collegiate Charter School	F
Midtown Public Charter School	F
Leflore Legacy Academy Charter School	F

According to this year’s scores, 87% of schools and 91% of districts earned a grade of C or higher.

Click here for a full list of the accountability scores from the Mississippi Department of Education. 

The grades are an improvement over 2021-22, when approximately 81% of schools and 87% of districts were rated C or higher. In 2016, when the Mississippi State Board of Education set a goal that all schools and districts be rated C or higher, the percentage of schools and districts meeting this goal were both 62%.

Statewide student assessment data make up a large part of accountability grades. In 2022-23, the overall percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced reached an all-time high in mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA), science and U.S. History.

“This year’s school and district grades provide further evidence that Mississippi teachers, school leaders and staff have done an outstanding job helping students accelerate learning after the disruptions of the pandemic,” said Dr. Raymond Morgigno, interim state superintendent of education. “I am confident our schools will build upon these achievements so that all students are proficient and prepared for success after high school.”

Since 2020, school districts and the state have invested federal pandemic-relief funds in programs and services to overcome pandemic disruptions and accelerate student learning. The additional funds enabled districts to pay for extended learning days, tutorial services and intensive interventions, among other supports. State investments include the Mississippi Connects digital learning initiative, which provided all students with a computer device, and services including on-demand tutoring, high-quality digital curriculum subscriptions and digital learning coaches for teachers. Pandemic-relief funds for these services will end in September 2024, and school districts will be responsible for paying for any services they wish to continue.

Mississippi’s accountability grades help teachers, school leaders, parents and communities know how well their local schools and districts are serving their students. The components of the state’s accountability system are based on state and federal law and State Board policy. They include:

• Student proficiency and growth rates in 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 Learner progress toward becoming proficient in the English language
• Performance on the ACT and high school Algebra I, English II, Biology and U.S. History assessments
• Student participation and performance in advanced coursework such as Advanced Placement and dual credit/dual enrollment courses
• Four-year graduation rate

School and district improvements in 2022-23 extend to school districts under state leadership because of poor academic performance or a state of emergency. The majority of these districts have made steady improvements since their state takeover:

• Tunica County School District: Maintained a B for the second consecutive year. The district achieved a C in 2018, improving upon a four-year track record of D and F grades. The district will return to local control in January 2024.
• Noxubee County School District: Achieved a C, improving upon its D rating in 2022 and emerging from its pattern of earning an F every year since 2016.
• Holmes County School District: Maintained a C for the second consecutive year, improving from an F in 2019.
• Achievement School District (ASD): The Humphreys County portion of the ASD improved its grade from an F to a D; the Yazoo City portion remained an F.

“I am especially proud of the students in our districts under state leadership,” Morgigno said. “These students have proven they can achieve at higher levels when teachers and leaders raise expectations and remain singularly focused on helping to improve student outcomes.”