Mississippi’s State Highlights

Summary of Grades

Mississippi scores below the average state in all four graded policy categories in Quality Counts.

Although the state earns its best grade in standards and accountability, Mississippi still lags behind most states in this section. The state receives full credit for strong measures related to school accountability. However, it loses points in the area of assessments because it lacks tests aligned to state standards at the elementary and middle school levels in science and social studies.

Mississippi’s lower-than-average grade in teacher quality can be attributed, in part, to its lack of several key policies related to the professional support and training of teachers. For example, the state does not require and finance mentoring for all new teachers, and it does not finance professional development for teachers.

The state ranks near the bottom of the nation on policy indicators related to school climate. Mississippi performs especially poorly on measures of student engagement and parent involvement. Compared to the average state, more students in Mississippi attend schools that are reported to have problems with absenteeism, tardiness, and classroom misbehavior.

Mississippi also posts a below-average grade in resource equity. Its score on the wealth-neutrality measure indicates that wealthier districts in the state tend to have higher per-pupil funding levels than do poorer districts.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.