Mississippi’s 88.9% exceeds the latest U.S. rate of 86.5%.
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) announced on Thursday that the 2021-22 school year graduation and dropout rates reflect the highest statewide graduation rate ever at 88.9% and a statewide dropout rate of 9%.
Rates are based on students who entered ninth grade for the first time during the 2018-19 school year. Among students with disabilities, the graduation rate increased to 67.1%, and the dropout rate was 19.3%.
Dr. Robert Taylor, State Superintendent of Education, said he is proud of Mississippi’s students and educators for reaching another historic graduation rate milestone.
“The MDE will continue to provide essential services and support for all students to stay in school and graduate to achieve academic and career success,” Dr. Taylor said.
Governor Tate Reeves celebrated the news, saying that it’s the third time since he became governor that Mississippi’s graduation rate has reached a new high.
“Mississippi isn’t just in the best fiscal and financial shape in our state’s history – we’re also in the best educational shape in our state’s history and performing better than the national average,” Governor Reeves said. “The conservative education reforms we fought so hard for over the years are working. Couple this with keeping our kids in the classroom while other states relied on virtual learning, and you can see how we got to this historic achievement. Kudos to the teachers for stepping up and going back into the classroom, and kudos to the parents for playing an active role in their kids’ education.”
“The all-time high graduation rate serves as another reminder that when someone says, ‘Mississippi is 50th in education,’ they just don’t know what they’re talking about,” Reeves continued.
In addition to improved graduation and dropout rates, Mississippi has experienced several gains in education over the last couple of years.
Earlier this month, MDE released the 2021-22 Superintendent’s Annual Report which detailed how academic progress has been made as the Department designated over $96 million in federal funds to help students, schools and districts recover from pandemic disruptions to learning.
Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) scores for 2021-22 show student achievement exceeded pre-pandemic levels with the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced reaching an all-time high of 42.2% in English Language Arts (ELA) and 55.9% in science, and reaching 47.3% in mathematics, just shy of the pre-pandemic rate of 47.4%.
Additionally, the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show Mississippi students are maintaining historic gains in 4th grade reading.
Anne Summerhays
