Jackson County School District

Jackson County School District is one of Mississippi's highest-performing districts, ranked #2 out of 134 districts statewide, serving 8,845 students across 13 schools: 7 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 high schools in the coastal Jackson County area. The district outperforms state averages in nearly every subject and grade level, with all three high schools exceeding the state graduation rate of 89.2%.

The Vancleave feeder pattern is the district's powerhouse. Vancleave High School jumped to #2 in the state with the highest high school test scores in the district, including 93.2% proficiency in Algebra I. Vancleave Upper Elementary ranks #19 in the state (95th percentile), and Vancleave Middle School ranks #21. East Central schools are also strong: East Central Middle School is the district's top middle school at #12 statewide with three consecutive years in the top 21, while East Central High School ranks #20 and East Central Upper Elementary jumped to #38 after three years of steady improvement. St. Martin High School is the most improved high school, climbing from #51 to #22 while posting the district's highest graduation rate at 95.0%.

The main areas for improvement are in the St. Martin cluster. St. Martin Middle School (#46) and St. Martin Upper Elementary (#90) are the district's lowest-ranked schools and the only ones earning 4 stars; they also posted the only scores below state averages. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the high school level, with St. Martin High at 28.8% and East Central High and Vancleave High both at 24.0%. Middle school math proficiency (roughly 69%) outpaces middle school ELA (roughly 56%), and English II is the district's most challenging high school subject, ranging from 59.8% to 67.8% proficiency. These areas represent the clearest opportunities for targeted support.