Which high schools are the best in Mississippi? Here’s a list of the top 20
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2020 report ranking the best high schools across Mississippi.
Top-performing schools can be found at every corner of the Magnolia State, from Biloxi and Gulfport to Hattiesburg and Petal.
The national magazine publishes its rankings each year based on key indicators including college readiness, underserved student performance, graduation rate and others.
The highest-ranked schools are those whose students “demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed a diverse array of college-level exams [and] graduated in high proportions,” according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 rankings methodology.
To get its ranking, a school’s scores were weighed “then transformed so that each eligible school receives an overall percentile score between zero and 100,” with the top school scoring a perfect 100.
Here are Mississippi’s top 20 best performing high schools:
Mississippi School for Math and Science
- Graduation rate: N/A
- College readiness: 32
- Columbus, MS
Lewisburg High
- Graduation rate: 95%
- College readiness: 33.7
- Olive Branch, MS
Natchez Early College Academy
- Graduation rate: 100%
- College readiness: 26.6
- Natchez, MS
Biloxi High
- Graduation rate: 83%
- College readiness: 23.9
- Biloxi, MS
Center Hill High
- Graduation rate: 92%
- College readiness: 16.8
- Olive Branch, MS
Pass Christian High
- Graduation rate: 87%
- College readiness: 22
- Pass Christian, MS
DeSoto Central High School
- Graduation rate: 92%
- College readiness: 21.6
- Southaven, MS
Booneville High School
- Graduation rate: 87%
- College readiness: 13.8
- Booneville, MS
Ocean Springs High
- Graduation rate: 91%
- College readiness: 30.7
- Ocean Springs, MS
Petal High
- Graduation rate: 87%
- College readiness: 18.3
- Petal, MS
West Harrison High
- Graduation rate: 87%
- College readiness: 15.8
- Gulfport, MS
Oak Grove High School
- Graduation rate: 93%
- College readiness: 15.7
- Hattiesburg, MS
Hernando High
- Graduation rate: 91%
- College readiness: 18.5
- Hernando, MS
Madison Central High
- Graduation rate: 88%
- College readiness: 21.2
- Madison, MS
Gautier High
- Graduation rate: 88%
- College readiness: 16.7
- Gautier, MS
Enterprise High School
- Graduation rate: 92%
- College readiness: N/A
- Enterprise, MS
Union High
- Graduation rate: 83%
- College readiness: 8.2
- Union, MS
Olive Branch High
- Graduation rate: 90%
- College readiness: 14.9
- Olive Branch, MS
Long Beach Senior High
- Graduation rate: 87%
- College readiness: 21.2
- Long Beach, MS
Oxford High School
- Graduation rate: 90%
- College readiness: 31.7
- Oxford, MS