DeSoto County^↗ET School District posted a 97.1% four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate in Mississippi's 2026 accountability report. The report covers the 2024-25 senior cohort, not students in the current 2026-27 school year.

DeSoto ranked 10th among 141 district-level entities with published rates. Nine were higher, and 10 reached at least 97%.

Seven schools above 96%

Seven of the district's eight high schools topped 96%. Lewisburg High School led at 99.0%, followed by Olive Branch at 98.5%, Center Hill at 98.0%, Lake Cormorant at 97.7%, Hernando at 97.5%, DeSoto Central at 96.8% and Horn Lake at 96.6%. Southaven posted 94.6%.

The spread from Lewisburg to Southaven was 4.4 percentage points.

Seven annual gains

DeSoto County's published rate rose from 83.0% in the 2014 report to 97.1% in 2026, a gain of 14.1 percentage points. After falling to 88.3% in 2019, it increased in each of the next seven annual reports. The district first crossed 90% in 2021.

The latest increase was small: 97.0% in the 2025 report to 97.1% in 2026, a gain of 0.1 point.

A wider lead over the state

The state data publishes all-students statewide rates for the 2020 and 2026 accountability reports. DeSoto County's 89.4% rate was 4.4 points above Mississippi's 85.0% in 2020. In 2026, DeSoto's 97.1% rate was 6.3 points above the statewide 90.8% rate. Its lead widened by 1.9 points between those two published comparisons.

The published rates establish the result and its timing, but they do not identify which district practices or student circumstances produced it.

Source: The MSEdTribune analysis of the Mississippi Department of Education's accountability data downloads, using annual reports from 2014 through 2026. The 2026 accountability report covers the 2024-25 senior cohort.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.