MSMississippi rankings

Towns with the highest high school graduation rates in Mississippi

Ranked by the four-year high school graduation rate of each town's public school district, class of 2020. Towns that share a regional district share its rate and its rank (T = tied). The Mississippi rate is 87.8%. 93 towns with 2,500+ residents.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-yearClass of 2020

#TownGraduation rateClass sizePopulation
T1 Winona WinonaWinona-Montgomery County Consolidated School District 97% 64 4,183
T1 Poplarville PoplarvillePoplarville Separate School District 97% 153 2,847
3 Pearl PearlPearl Public School District 96% 291 27,737
4 Petal PetalPetal School District 95% 305 11,294
5 Map of Long Beach Long BeachLong Beach School District 94% 241 17,009
T6 Oxford OxfordOxford School District 93% 345 26,411
T6 Brandon BrandonRankin County School District 93% 1,345 25,542
T6 Map of Flowood FlowoodRankin County School District 93% 1,345 10,587
T6 Map of Richland RichlandRankin County School District 93% 1,345 7,346
T6 Map of West Hattiesburg West HattiesburgLamar County School District 93% 797 6,715
T6 UniversityOxford School District 93% 345 5,315
T6 Florence FlorenceRankin County School District 93% 1,345 4,696
T6 Map of New Hope New HopeLowndes County School District 93% 433 3,952
T6 Lucedale LucedaleGeorge County School District 93% 265 2,995
T15 Southaven SouthavenDeSoto County School District 92% 2,441 56,226
T15 Olive Branch Olive BranchDeSoto County School District 92% 2,441 47,019
T15 Madison MadisonMadison County School District 92% 1,000 27,946
T15 Horn Lake Horn LakeDeSoto County School District 92% 2,441 26,647
T15 Map of Ridgeland RidgelandMadison County School District 92% 1,000 24,587
T15 Hernando HernandoDeSoto County School District 92% 2,441 17,949
T15 Corinth CorinthCorinth School District 92% 164 14,323
T15 Bay St. Louis Bay St. LouisBay St. Louis-Waveland School District 92% 135 10,188
T15 Waveland WavelandBay St. Louis-Waveland School District 92% 135 7,062
T15 Holly Springs Holly SpringsHolly Springs School District 92% 96 6,704
T15 Columbia ColumbiaColumbia School District 92% 111 6,632
T15 Pass Christian Pass ChristianPass Christian Public School District 92% 144 6,097
T15 Map of Louisville LouisvilleLouisville Municipal School District 92% 190 5,983
T15 Pontotoc PontotocPontotoc City Schools 92% 177 5,806
T15 Ripley RipleySouth Tippah School District 92% 171 5,377
T15 GluckstadtMadison County School District 92% 1,000 3,236
T15 BridgetownDeSoto County School District 92% 2,441 3,195
T32 Byram ByramHinds County School District 91% 423 12,799
T32 Gulf Hills Gulf HillsJackson County School District 91% 692 8,451
T32 St. Martin St. MartinJackson County School District 91% 692 8,139
T32 Map of Latimer LatimerJackson County School District 91% 692 6,756
T32 Map of Vancleave VancleaveJackson County School District 91% 692 5,078
T37 Clinton ClintonClinton Public School District 90% 386 27,195
T37 Ocean Springs Ocean SpringsOcean Springs School District 90% 497 18,646
T37 D'Iberville D'IbervilleHarrison County School District 90% 992 13,203
T37 Map of Gulf Park Estates Gulf Park EstatesOcean Springs School District 90% 497 6,264
T37 Hide-A-Way LakePearl River County School District 90% 284 2,569
T42 Diamondhead DiamondheadHancock County School District 89% 312 9,338
T42 Ellisville EllisvilleJones County School District 89% 590 4,521
T42 Iuka IukaTishomingo County Schools 89% 202 3,110
T45 Tupelo TupeloTupelo Public School District 88% 518 37,791
T45 Map of Natchez NatchezNatchez-Adams School District 88% 243 14,192
T45 Saltillo SaltilloLee County School District 88% 481 4,952
T45 Map of Verona VeronaLee County School District 88% 481 2,748
T45 Guntown GuntownLee County School District 88% 481 2,594
T50 Vicksburg VicksburgVicksburg Warren School District 87% 555 20,589
T50 Laurel LaurelLaurel School District 87% 233 17,679
T50 Picayune PicayunePicayune School District 87% 233 11,900
T50 Brookhaven BrookhavenBrookhaven School District 87% 187 11,650
T50 Yazoo City Yazoo CityYazoo City Municipal School District 87% 127 10,219
T50 West Point West PointWest Point Consolidated School District 87% 219 9,900
T50 Booneville BoonevillePrentiss County School District 87% 158 9,246
T50 Senatobia SenatobiaSenatobia Municipal School District 87% 119 8,380
T50 New Albany New AlbanyNew Albany Public Schools 87% 136 7,663
T50 Kosciusko KosciuskoKosciusko School District 87% 151 6,933
T50 Map of Leakesville LeakesvilleGreene County School District 87% 140 4,959
T50 Carthage CarthageLeake County School District 87% 176 4,866
T50 Map of Crystal Springs Crystal SpringsCopiah County School District 87% 169 4,752
T50 Fulton FultonItawamba County School District 87% 232 4,576
T50 Wiggins WigginsStone County School District 87% 177 4,293
T50 BeechwoodVicksburg Warren School District 87% 555 4,168
T50 Macon MaconNoxubee County School District 87% 109 3,333
T50 Nicholson NicholsonPicayune School District 87% 233 3,146
T50 Baldwyn BaldwynBaldwyn School District 87% 65 3,138
T50 Map of Magnolia MagnoliaSouth Pike School District 87% 123 3,059
T70 Pascagoula PascagoulaPascagoula-Gautier School District 86% 510 21,710
T70 Map of Gautier GautierPascagoula-Gautier School District 86% 510 19,046
T70 Waynesboro WaynesboroWayne County School District 86% 227 4,518
T73 Batesville BatesvilleSouth Panola School District 85% 314 7,387
T73 Magee MageeSimpson County School District 85% 260 3,943
75 Newton NewtonNewton Municipal School 84% 51 3,116
T76 StarkvilleStarkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District 83% 338 25,721
T76 Mississippi StateStarkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District 83% 338 4,655
T78 Cleveland ClevelandCleveland School District 82% 251 10,623
T78 Map of Forest ForestForest Municipal School District 82% 94 5,357
T78 Aberdeen AberdeenAberdeen School District 82% 67 4,890
T78 Hazlehurst HazlehurstHazlehurst City School District 82% 93 3,520
T78 Water Valley Water ValleyWater Valley School District 82% 80 3,376
T83 Map of Pearl River Pearl RiverNeshoba County School District 81% 237 4,047
T83 Morton MortonScott County School District 81% 268 3,656
T85 Indianola IndianolaSunflower County Consolidated School District 80% 262 9,062
T85 Ruleville RulevilleSunflower County Consolidated School District 80% 262 2,632
87 Jackson JacksonJackson Public School District 79% 1,853 146,631
T88 Map of McComb McCombMcComb School District 77% 198 12,049
T88 Moss Point Moss PointMoss Point School District 77% 144 11,957
T88 Canton CantonCanton Public School District 77% 219 10,811
T88 Map of Escatawpa EscatawpaMoss Point School District 77% 144 3,494
T92 ColumbusColumbus Municipal School District 76% 271 23,348
T92 Grenada GrenadaGrenada School District 76% 275 12,375

How this ranking works

Each town gets the four-year graduation rate of the public school district that runs its high school for the class of 2020: the share of students who started ninth grade together and earned a regular diploma within four years, counting students who transferred in and out. Every state computes it the same federal way. Where a regional district serves several towns, they all share its rate and its rank.

We leave out a town split between high school districts, a district whose class had fewer than 20 students, and one the Department of Education reports only as a wide range (such as 50–100%). Those numbers are too uncertain to rank. The Department also publishes most rates in bands rather than exact figures (a rate between 95% and 99% is shown as 97%), which is why many towns tie. Graduation data: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Each district's page shows its rate against the state.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states