Mississippi · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best Public Schools in Mississippi

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

Compiled from official source data by .
77/100
Top score
B+
Top grade
63/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Northwest Middle School in JACKSON is Mississippi's top-resourced public school, scoring 77/100 on the NCES resource index.

77/100
top score (grade B+)
1
schools at the top grade (B+)
63/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Northwest Middle School JACKSON B+ 77
2 Early Head Start Nicholson Picayune B 74
3 Leflore Legacy Academy Greenwood B 70
4 Heidelberg Junior High School Heidelberg B- 69
5 Luther Branson School CANTON B- 68
6 Weir Elementary School WEIR B- 68
7 Bruce Elementary School BRUCE B- 67
8 Edna M Scott Elementary School LELAND B- 67
9 Early Head Start Rosa Street Picayune B- 67
10 Okolona Middle School OKOLONA B- 67
11 Waynesboro Riverview Ele School Waynesboro B- 66
12 Barack H Obama Elementary School JACKSON B- 65
13 N H Pilate Middle School Newton B- 65
14 Jonestown Elementary School JONESTOWN B- 65
15 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School Canton B- 65
16 French Camp Elem School FRENCH CAMP B- 65
17 Wayne Central Elementary School Waynesboro C+ 64
18 Hayes Cooper Center for Math Sc Tec MERIGOLD C+ 64
19 Beach Elementary School Pascagoula C+ 64
20 Chastain Middle School JACKSON C+ 63
21 Clara Elementary School Waynesboro C+ 63
22 Buckatunna Elementary School Buckatunna C+ 63
23 Kirksey Middle School Jackson C+ 63
24 Bailey Middle Apac School JACKSON C+ 63
25 William Winans Middle School Centreville C+ 63
26 Dundee Elementary School DUNDEE C+ 63
27 West Clay Elementary School Cedar Bluff C+ 62
28 North Bay Elementary School Biloxi C+ 61
29 O'bannon Elementary School Greenville C+ 60
30 Bell Elementary School BOYLE C+ 60
31 Shannon Elementary School SHANNON C+ 60
32 Lake Elementary School JACKSON C+ 60
33 Franklin Upper Elementary Meadville C+ 60
34 Osyka Elementary School Osyka C+ 60
35 Hopewell Elementary School COLLINS C+ 60
36 Lester Elementary School JACKSON C+ 60
37 East Jones Elementary School Laurel C 59
38 Peeples Middle School JACKSON C 59
39 Mcwillie Elementary School JACKSON C 59
40 Bay Springs Elem Sch BAY SPRINGS C 59
41 Nettleton Primary School Nettleton C 59
42 Harrison Central Elementary GULFPORT C 58
43 Poplar Springs Elementary School Meridian C 58
44 Vardaman Elementary School VARDAMAN C 58
45 Orange Grove Elementary GULFPORT C 58
46 Van Winkle Elementary School JACKSON C 58
47 Bay Springs Middle Sch BAY SPRINGS C 58
48 Perry Central Middle School NEW AUGUSTA C 58
49 Benndale Elementary School LUCEDALE C 58
50 Fairview Attendance Center Golden C 58

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in Mississippi? ▼

The top-rated school in Mississippi is Northwest Middle School in JACKSON with a quality score of 77/100 (grade B+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for Mississippi

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.