Education

Student test scores are out. See how MS Coast districts performed in 4 subjects

By Martha Sanchez

August 22, 2025 9:17 AM

Annual public school test scores released this week showed mixed results on the Mississippi Coast: A few districts made strides, others fell back and most stayed far above state average.

State education leaders also recognized several Coast districts among Mississippi’s top-scoring. But the Coast’s results also mirror the rest of the state, which saw subtle declines in overall achievement for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

State Superintendent Lance Evans said he would send more literacy and math coaches across Mississippi and seek Legislative funding this year to help students score better than passing grades.

“That’s where more focus is needed now,” he said.

Department of Education leaders also cautioned against drawing conclusions from one year.

“This data is not a warning yet,” Matt Miller, chair of the Mississippi State Board of Education, said at a meeting on Thursday. “It’s a reminder. If it happens again next year, I think we’re sliding more into a warning situation. So we need to keep moving forward.”

Thousands of students in every Coast district often perform well on the tests, which are taken online and measure achievement in math, science and English language arts. Last year’s tests included U.S. History. But students will not be tested on history next year because state education leaders voted this summer to no longer require it for graduation.

Students in Long Beach scored so high in each subject this year the state recognized the district as among the best in Mississippi. It was the fourth year in a row the district received the recognition. Hannah Ruhoff Sun Herald

Students in the Long Beach and Ocean Springs school districts scored so high in each subject this year that the Department of Education recognized them as among the best in Mississippi. The state also recognized the Pass Christian School District for high scores in English language arts, science and U.S. History, and commended the Jackson County School District for performance in U.S. History and science.

“We are beyond proud,” a social media post from the Long Beach School District said.

The tests measure how many students in each district score so far above a passing grade that they are considered either “proficient” or “advanced” in a subject. Across the state, about 55% of students met those marks in math, 47% scored similarly high in English language arts, 61% fared well in science and about 70% scored proficient or better in U.S. History.

The rates were even better in most Mississippi Coast districts. Only Moss Point fell below state averages in all subjects, and Pascagoula-Gautier schools dipped below averages in math and science.

High school students are let off the bus for their first day of classes at Ocean Springs High School in Ocean Springs on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Hannah Ruhoff Sun Herald file

Students also made gains: U.S. History scores rose in Harrison County, Pass Christian and Gulfport, among other districts. English language arts scores went up in Pass Christian, and science scores also rose in Jackson County. But many districts’ scores were the same or slightly lower than last year.

At the state board of education meeting Thursday, Chief Accountability Officer Paula Vanderford called the subtle declines this year “unusual for Mississippi.”

“With the exception of COVID, we’ve seen steady increases in our overall proficiency,” she said. This year’s scores, she added, “have given us the need to take a deeper dive into what the results really mean.”