Long Beach, Ocean Springs earn top state test scores across MS. See how your school ranked.

Long Beach and Ocean Springs ranked as two of Mississippi’s top 10 school districts, according to the results of statewide tests released Thursday.

Long Beach and Ocean Springs ranked in the overall Top 10 for all four subjects tested.

Students in grades three through eight take the tests every year. The results were from the 2021-22 academic school year and show schools are recovering from the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on student progress.

With the exception of the math scores, the percentage of students who achieved proficient or advanced results exceeded pre-COVID pandemic levels.

“Mississippi education performance has once again reached new record highs.,” Gov. Tate Reeves said after the results were released. “While states in other parts of the country kept their students out of the classroom, Mississippi committed to in-person instruction. These results speak loud and clear as to which approach was best for kids.”

Mississippi Department of Education said the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced with a grade of 4 or 5 reached an all-time high of 42% in English and 56% in science.

The assessments measure student progress and ensure schools are successfully reaching state standards in math, English, science (for 5th and 8th Grade) and in end-of-course assessments in algebra I, English II, biology and U.S. history.

The tests impact daily instruction by pointing out weak areas and identifying struggling students.

Here is where South Mississippi schools excelled:

Schools ranked in overall Top 10 districts by subject area

Overall — mathematics and Algebra I

• Long Beach School District, fourth in state with 70.9% of students scoring at PL4 or PL5 (proficient or advanced)
• Ocean Springs School District, fifth in state with 69.5%

Overall — English Language Arts and English II

• Ocean Springs School District, first in state with 65.3% of students scoring at PL4 or PL5 (proficient or advanced)
• Long Beach School District, fourth place with 62%
• Harrison County School District, 10th place with 55.7%
  
  

Overall grades five and eight — biology

• Ocean Springs School District, first place in state with 80.5% of students scoring at PL4 or PL5 (proficient or advanced)
• Pass Christian Public School District, second place with 78.4%
• Long Beach School District, third place with 76.8%
• Poplarville Separate School District, sixth place with 76.2%
• Jackson County School District, seventh place with 73.1%
• Biloxi Public School District, eighth place with 72.6%

Overall — U.S. history

• Ocean Springs, third place in state with 92.1% of students scoring at PL4 or PL5 (proficient or advanced)
  
  
• Bay St. Louis Waveland School District, fourth place with 91.8%
• Long Beach School District, fifth place with 91.7%

Highest local scores in Math and English

The numbers show 80% of students in the 15 school districts in South Mississippi passed the English test with a grade of 3 or higher. A score of 1 or 2 is a failing rate.

Percentages are approximate and calculated by adding the percentage of students in each district that scored a 3, 4 or 5 passing grade and averaging those percentages.

Ocean Springs, the highest scoring district in English, had 9% of students fail the test. Moss Point had the lowest scores, with a 37% fail rate, or more than one out of three students getting a failing score.

However, in the English II test given to high school students, Moss Point had an 89% pass rate, the third highest in South Mississippi.

Students in grades five to eight in South Mississippi with the highest and lowest pass rates in English are:

In mathematics, the 15 school districts in South Mississippi had a combined 78% pass rate with a score of 3 or higher, and a 22% fail rate.

Students in grades five to eight in South Mississippi with the highest and lowest pass rates in math are:

Mona Moore

Sun Herald

Mona Moore was a Service Journalism Desk Editor for the Sun Herald in Mississippi; Mahoning Matters in Ohio; and the Ledger-Enquirer and Telegraph in Georgia. Originally from West Covina, California, she holds a bachelor’s and master’s in corporate and public communication from the University of South Alabama. Mona’s writing and photography have been recognized by press associations in Mississippi, North Carolina and Florida.