District Spotlight
Hattiesburg's Graduation Rate Slipped to 90.7%, Erasing Its State Lead
Hattiesburg's four-year graduation rate fell to 90.7% for the 2024-25 senior cohort, nearly level with Mississippi after two declines from a 96.1% peak.
Mississippi
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Mississippi, grounded in Mississippi Department of Education data.
Mississippi's Four-Year Enrollment Slowdown Ended With a 10,725-Student Drop
Enrollment losses averaged 1,842 students from 2022 through 2025 before a 10,725-student drop in 2026 reshaped Mississippi's trend.
No Recovery Year: 13 Mississippi Districts in Decade-Long Freefall
Thirteen Mississippi districts have lost students every single year for a decade. Together they shed 20,854 students, one-third of the state's total loss.
Mississippi's Largest Non-COVID Enrollment Loss in Its Recent Record
Mississippi lost 10,725 students in 2025-26, its largest decline outside the COVID year in the available record. Only 26 of 152 districts grew.
Coahoma County's Journey: From 52% Graduation Rate to Above 90% for Three Straight Years
Coahoma County School District improved from a 51.7% graduation rate in 2014 to 90.7% in 2025, remaining above 90% for a third year.
More Coverage
District Spotlight
DeSoto County Holds at 97.1% as Seven High Schools Top 96%
DeSoto County posted a 97.1% graduation rate in Mississippi's 2026 accountability report, with seven of its eight high schools above 96%.
District Spotlight
Vicksburg-Warren Graduation Rate Reaches 91.3% After 32.4-Point Gain Since 2014
Vicksburg-Warren's graduation rate rose 32.4 points from the 2014 to 2026 accountability reports, despite a 1.6-point decline in the latest release.
District Spotlight
Jackson Public Schools Recovered, But Still Trails the State
Jackson Public Schools' graduation rate rose from 65.1% in 2014 to 85.4% in 2026, a 20.3-point gain and a series high. The district remains 5.4 points below Mississippi's 90.8% state rate.
Equity
Mississippi's Graduation Report Shows Broad District Gains
Ninety-seven Mississippi districts improved, 79 reached at least 90%, and seven remained below 80% in the state's latest graduation report.
Equity
A 16-District Delta Panel Cut Its Graduation Gap to 1.5 Points
A 16-district Delta county-name panel averaged an 88.7% graduation rate in 2026, narrowing its gap with other Mississippi districts to 1.5 points.
Absence
Rankin County Kept Chronic Absence Near 14% Across Eight Years
Rankin County's chronic-absence rate changed little across eight years and was the lowest among Mississippi's large districts in 2025.
Absence
9 of Mississippi's 10 Highest-Absence Schools Had 'High' in Their Names
Schools with 'High' in their names dominated Mississippi's highest chronic-absence rates and had a higher median than Elementary-named schools.
Absence
Four in Ten Mississippi Districts Reported Chronic Absence of at Least 30%
Fifty-seven Mississippi districts reported chronic-absence rates of at least 30% in 2025, showing that high absence crossed district sizes.
Absence
Mississippi District Chronic-Absence Rates Spanned 41.6 Points
Mississippi's 143 reported district chronic-absence rates ranged from 5.0% to 46.6% in 2025, with important caveats at the low end.
Absence
DeSoto County Reported Mississippi's Largest District Chronic-Absence Count
DeSoto County reported 11,336 chronically absent students in 2025, the largest count among Mississippi district rows with positive enrollment.
