These are the best public schools in MS. See if your child’s school made the grade
Is your school among the best in Mississippi?
Niche, a ranking platform for schools and neighborhoods, looked at data and reviews for Mississippi schools to come up with a list of the best public elementary, middle and high schools in the state.
“Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions a family can make,” Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche, said in a Sep. 29 news release. “Our K-12 rankings bring together rigorous data and real experiences from students, parents and educators.”
Here are the top public elementary, middle and high schools in Mississippi, according to Niche’s 2026 ranking:
What are the best elementary schools in MS?
These are the top 10 public elementary schools in Mississippi for 2026, according to Niche:
1. Petal Elementary School in Petal
2. Northside Elementary School in Clinton
3. North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi
4. Eastside Elementary School in Clinton
5. Madison Elementary School in Madison
6. Bayou View Elementary School in Gulfport
7. Pecan Park Elementary School in Ocean Springs
8. Madison Avenue Upper Elementary School in Madison
9. Back Bay Elementary School in Biloxi
10. Brandon Elementary School in Brandon
What are the best middle schools in MS?
These are the top 10 public middle schools in Mississippi for 2026, according to Niche:
1. Petal Upper Elementary School in Petal
2. Petal Middle School in Petal
3. Madison Middle School in Madison
4. Long Beach Middle School in Long Beach
5. Biloxi Upper Elementary in Biloxi
6. Clinton Junior High School in Clinton
7. Lovett Elementary in Clinton
8. Ocean Springs Middle School in Ocean Springs
9. Northwest Rankin Middle School in Flowood
10. Biloxi Junior High School in Biloxi
What are the best high schools in MS?
These are the top 10 public high schools in Mississippi for 2026, according to Niche:
1. The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus
2. Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch
3. Caledonia High School in Caledonia
4. Ocean Springs High School in Ocean Springs
5. Biloxi High School in Biloxi
6. Pass Christian High School in Pass Christian
7. Madison Central High School in Madison
8. Gautier High School in Gautier
9. Gulfport High School in Gulfport
10. Long Beach High School in Long Beach
In August, U.S. News & World Report published their list of top public high schools in Mississippi, McClatchy News reported. See how the rankings compare here.
How did Niche come up with its findings?
Experts at Niche combined user input with data from 3 million student, parent and teacher reviews, school-reported statistics and datasets from the U.S. Department of Education to come up with the ranking, according to the news release.
