Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is the only district in the Golden Triangle to maintain an A rating, as other districts saw declines in their Mississippi Department of Education’s 2025-2026 Accountability Ratings.
Despite both districts logging a higher number of points this year on the ratings scale, Columbus Municipal School District fell a letter grade to a D, and Lowndes County School District’s rating fell to a B, ending a seven-year streak of being an A-rated district.
The 2025-2026 scores, which were released Thursday for each public district and their schools across the state, are the first held to the higher standards announced by MDE in 2025, as required by state law.
The ratings, which are mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, grade districts and schools on an A-F scale, with 1,000 being the highest number of points a district can receive.
Changes made to the accountability model raised performance level cut-offs between letter grades, meaning schools and districts must earn a higher number of points to meet the threshold for each letter grade. Additionally, some components of the model changed, including the elimination of the U.S. History assessment and the introduction of the Mississippi Readiness Index, which measures students’ readiness for what comes after high school.
The scores were calculated based on proficiency and growth rates in math and English language arts in grades 3-8; the growth of the lowest performing 25% of students in English language arts and math; science proficiency in grades 5 and 8; and English learners’ progress toward proficiency in the language. For high schools, the four-year graduation rate, performance on statewide assessments and factors of the readiness index are also considered.
About 82.4% of school districts across the state earned a grade of C or higher this year, a decrease from last year when 87.2% of districts met that threshold, an MDE press release said.
While the district earned 21 more points this year for a total of 561, CMSD’s C-rating dropped this year to a D, with all individual schools logging either C or D.
Superintendent Craig Chapman noted progress made by students, but higher cut scores this year affected how progress translated into the district’s overall rating. Because of the new cut scores, establishing a new baseline that makes direct comparison with previous years difficult.
“Moving forward, we must continue to build on these gains while focusing on the areas that will help us meet higher expectations,” he wrote in an email to The Dispatch. “I believe the faculty and staff did a great job of adjusting to those expectations once they were passed down in November, and I believe they will continue to build on these gains and meet the expectations.
Sale Elementary was the only CMSD to see a decline in its rating this year, dropping by two letter grades to a D, and Columbus Middle School had the only score to improve in the district, climbing from F to D.
Sale’s score, Chapman said, must be considered with the context of the district’s transition to grade-span learning, which affected how Sale’s accountability points were calculated.
“As a result, Sale no longer included the fifth-grade science component, and academic growth calculations were based on fourth grade rather than both fourth and fifth grades,” Chapman said. “Despite these changes, there were encouraging signs of progress.”
Stokes-Beard Elementary, Cook Elementary and Columbus High School all maintained the same letter grades of C, D and D, respectively. Fairview Elementary, which closed in May, maintained a C rating.
While he said the grade-span transition should be considered while interpreting accountability results, Chapman said they provide only one measure of student performance.
“We must also consider instructional alignment, teacher collaboration, student support, and the progress students are making toward grade-level expectations,” he said. “We will continue to evaluate these areas as the district moves forward with the new grade-span structure.”
After seven years of being an A-rated district, LCSD’s rating fell to a B with a total of 690 points, an increase of 6 points from last year.
Superintendent Sam Allison said the district appreciates the work of students, teachers and administrators who contributed to successes in the scores this year.
“At the same time, we recognize that some schools declined and that we have areas requiring greater attention and improvement,” Allison wrote in an email to The Dispatch. “We must use these results to identify where students need additional support and ensure our instruction prepares them for the next steps in their education and life.”
Most LCSD schools maintained the same letter grade as last year, with Caledonia Elementary, Caledonia High and New Hope High both posting A ratings; Caledonia Middle scoring a B; and New Hope Middle logging a C rating.
West Lowndes Elementary was the only school to post a higher rating this year, rising by one letter grade to D. New Hope Elementary and West Lowndes High schools both saw scores drop, with NHES dropping to C and WLHS dropping two letter grades to an F.
“We are proud of our successes, but we are not satisfied with every result,” Allison said. “We will continue to evaluate our practices, make needed adjustments and hold ourselves accountable for improving outcomes for all students.”
Now the only A-rated district in the region, SOCSD’s overall score climbed to 727, earning the district the highest rating for a third consecutive year.
Superintendent Tony McGee credited teachers and students with the growth in this year’s scores.
“We have worked over the last several years to strategically improve classroom instruction, using the state’s high-quality instructional materials as well as targeted student supports,” he wrote in an email to The Dispatch. “We’ve also been putting data in the hands of our administrators and teachers, and training and equipping them to understand it and use it at the classroom level to address individual learning needs.”
West Elementary and Armstrong Junior High both improved scores by one letter grade, rising to A and B, respectively. Sudduth Elementary and Starkville High School both decreased by one letter grade to B ratings.
“West earned the highest score of any school ever in our district this year,” McGee said. “We think those are great instances of our team putting the data to work. Both schools have worked hard to identify key areas of needed student growth and working creatively to implement interventions to meet students where they are.”
Henderson Ward Elementary, Overstreet Elementary and Partnership Middle maintained ratings of B, A and B, respectively.
West Point Consolidated School District maintained its C rating this year, though the district scored nearly 40 more points than last year. All but two WPCSD schools saw ratings drop this year, with Fifth Street School maintaining a C and West Clay Elementary climbing one letter grade to B. East Side, Church Hill and South Side elementaries all dropped from B to C while West Point High School dropped from C to D. Noxubee County Schools are the only district to see its overall rating improve, rising from a D to a C, with 55 more points than last year.
While Earl Nash Elementary maintained a D, both B.F. Liddell Middle and Noxubee County High schools improved by a letter grade to D and B, respectively.