2024-25 grades for MS schools are out. Coast districts ranked 1st, 2nd in the state

Mississippi Coast public schools have received glowing annual report cards: Nearly all districts across the three coastal counties earned top grades from the state Department of Education.

The results, released Thursday, also placed four local districts among Mississippi’s best. The Long Beach and Ocean Springs school districts scored first and second-highest in the state. The Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis-Waveland school districts were also among Mississippi’s top 10 highest-scoring.

Coast districts fared well even as some troubling signs emerged across the state. The results show the number of districts that earned C grades or better last school year dipped slightly, from 94 to 87 percent. The Mississippi State Board of Education wants all districts to earn at least a C.

State Superintendent Lance Evans said the results may be a sign of how hard it is to constantly improve. The state has been nationally recognized for its work to raise student test scores. But Evans said it was inevitable to see “some variance in performance.”

“It is very difficult to maintain that straight vertical growth,” he said.

The state grades districts based on graduation rates and students’ test results across academic subjects, among other criteria. The student test results, released last month, showed subtle declines in overall achievement for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Coast districts saw mixed results but stayed, for the most part, far above state averages.

The grades are intended to help teachers, parents and district leaders understand how well schools are serving students. The Mississippi Department of Education grades districts on an A through F scale.

No Mississippi Coast school district earned less than a B, but several individual schools fell below the state’s goals. Magnolia Middle School in Moss Point, William M Colmer Middle School in Pascagoula and North Gulfport Elementary and Middle School earned Ds.

State education leaders said it was unclear what drove last school year’s declines.

“There is no one particular thing that we have discovered,” Evans said. “We have done an exhaustive search.”

1. Long Beach School District

The Long Beach School District earned an A grade. The district’s total score, calculated based on students’ skills in math, reading, science and history, among other criteria, was the highest in Mississippi.

Long Beach High School’s score also tied for fourth-highest among Mississippi’s public high schools.

2. Ocean Springs School District

The Ocean Springs School District earned an A grade. The district’s overall score was the second highest in the state.

Ocean Springs High School also scored tenth-highest among the state’s public high schools.

6. Pass Christian Public School District

The Pass Christian Public School District earned an A. The district’s overall score was sixth-highest in the state.

Pass Christian High School’s score was the second-highest among Mississippi’s public high schools.

7. Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District

The Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District earned an A. It’s overall score was the seventh-best in Mississippi.

15. Jackson County School District

The Jackson County School District earned an A.

20. Biloxi Public School District

The Biloxi Public School District earned an A.

22. Hancock County School District

The Hancock County School District earned an A.

East Hancock Elementary School’s overall score was eighth-highest among Mississippi’s public elementary and middle schools.

23. Harrison County School District

The Harrison County School District earned an A.

West Harrison High School’s score tied for fourth-highest among Mississippi’s public high schools.

36. Gulfport School District

The Gulfport School District earned an A.

Bayou View Elementary School’s score was the second-highest among public elementary and middle schools in Mississippi.

57. Pascagoula-Gautier School District

The Pascagoula-Gautier School District earned a B.

Beach Elementary School’s overall score was the seventh-highest among the state’s public elementary and middle schools.

79. Moss Point Separate School District

The Moss Point Separate School District earned a B.

This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM.