Summary:
Ocean Springs, Mississippi is served by 10 public schools spanning grades PK–12, split between the Ocean Springs School District (6 schools) and the Jackson County School District (4 schools), with roughly 9,200 students enrolled. The city's schools are academically strong overall—nearly every school outperforms Mississippi state averages in most subjects—but grade configurations differ between districts, so parents should compare schools by grade band rather than by school category.
The standout schools are impressive by any measure. Ocean Springs Middle School is the highest-ranked school in the city at #4 in Mississippi, with exceptional math and science proficiency. Ocean Springs High School ranks #8 statewide with strong End-of-Course results and a 93.1% graduation rate. St. Martin High School is the most improved school in the area, climbing from #51 to #22 in three years while posting the highest graduation rate (95.0%) among the city's high schools. At the elementary level, Oak Park Elementary leads with 83.2% 3rd grade math proficiency and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (11.6%), while Ocean Springs Upper Elementary excels in science with 91.8% 5th grade proficiency.
The most significant pattern is the achievement gap between the two districts. Ocean Springs School District schools have a weighted free/reduced lunch rate of 34.8% versus 60.0% in the Jackson County schools, and that correlates with large proficiency gaps—for example, 6th grade math proficiency is 81.7% at Ocean Springs Upper Elementary versus 52.4% at St. Martin Middle School. Chronic absenteeism is a notable concern at both high schools, with Ocean Springs High at 36.7% and St. Martin High at 28.8%. Encouragingly, the St. Martin schools are improving quickly—St. Martin Upper Elementary jumped 75 spots in state rankings in three years—and science instruction is a clear strength across the entire city.
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