Mississippi Schools

    Mississippi schools are doing well as part of the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. Just 6% of schools in Mississippi did not meet their progress requirements in the 2005-06. Test scores in the 2005-06 testing also impressed administrators—with the problems due to Hurricane Katrina hitting Mississippi just before school started that year. There were marked improvements in reading and language, as well as Math in the elementary grades, and middle and high school students also showed slight improvement.

Despite these test improvements, Mississippi is still ranked 49 of 50 in the “Smartest State” rankings, based on Morgan Quinto’s annual reference guide “Education State Rankings” for the 2005-06 school year. Quinto bases his rankings on 21 factors, including student achievement, positive outcomes, and personal attention from teachers. Mississippi dropped two spots from the 2004-05 school year.

Over 70% of Mississippi students attend Title I schools. Title I schools are schools in low-income areas needing to focus on improving academic performance of its students. As a result of being labeled “Title I”, schools receive more federal funding. In the 2007 fiscal year, Mississippi is dividing over $157 million to its Title I schools. In addition to special funding for Title I schools, schools that are putting an emphasis on “informed parental choice and innovative programs” (Title IV schools) are receiving just over $3 million to promote these things in the 2007 fiscal year. These monies are in addition to the $3.6 billion allocated to K-12 education by the state. Not including federal funding, Mississippi will spend over $7,200 per student in the 2007 fiscal year.

For more information on a particular school or district, visit Mississippi’s Department of Education website at http://www.mde.k12.ms.us.