4 MS Coast high schools make top 10 in prestigious state rankings. See the list

The Mississippi Coast has received a glowing report card: Four local high schools recently ranked among the best in the state.

The rankings, released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, examined thousands of schools across the nation based on how well they prepare students for college. The rankings also consider graduation rates and how students score on state tests.

The report ranked Ocean Springs High School second on its list of best public high schools in Mississippi.

The school is often named among the region’s best-rated, and U.S. News ranked it the best public high school in Mississippi last year. It enrolls almost 2,000 students and has a graduation rate of 93 percent. About a third of its students have passed at least one Advanced Placement exam, which are standardized tests that can earn college credit.

U.S. News also named Biloxi High School the sixth-best public high school in the state. The school has a 91 percent graduation rate and an enrollment over 1,600. U.S. News said about 22 percent of Biloxi students have passed at least one Advanced Placement exam.

Two other Coast schools made the rankings’ top ten: D’Iberville High School ranked seventh in Mississippi, and Long Beach High School placed eighth.

The rankings can vary each year, and are closely watched by educators across the country. The annual reports have also faced debate, especially at the collegiate level, over methodology and whether schools should be ranked at all. But the reports are also a tool high-ranking schools use to tout accomplishments.

Top 10 Mississippi high schools

1. MS School For Math And Science (Columbus)

2. Ocean Springs High School

3. Lewisburg High School (Olive Branch)

4. Petal High School

5. Heidelberg High School

6. Biloxi High School

7. D’Iberville High School

8. Long Beach High School

9. Center Hill High School (Olive Branch)

10. Union High School