MDE announces graduation, dropout rates, DCS third-highest grad rate in state

Feb 24, 2025- There’s some good news, but some not so good news in the latest report on graduation and dropout rates in Mississippi schools.  

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) reports the state’s 2023-24 school-year graduation rate was 89.2 percent and the dropout rate was 8.5 percent.  

For students with disabilities, the 2023-24 graduation rate was 65.2 percent, and the dropout rate is 20 percent. 

MDE said the latest rates are based on students who entered ninth grade for the first time during the 2020-21 school year. The statewide graduation rate does not include students who earned a GED or a certificate of completion.

The not-so-good news is that, compared to 2022-23, the statewide dropout rate stayed the same while the graduation rate decreased slightly by .2 percentage points. Among students with disabilities, the graduation rate decreased by 4.8 percentage points, and the dropout rate increased by 2.3 percentage points.

In 2020-21, passing requirements were waived due to COVID-19 for high school end-of-year assessments in Algebra I, English II, Biology and U.S. History. The waivers had a positive impact on the graduation rate, and that impact was expected to diminish for the 2023-24 school year.

The good news comes in that Mississippi’s graduation rate is better than the latest national average of 86.6 percent from 2021-22, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 

“Mississippi continues to surpass the national average and demonstrates the dedication and hard work of our school communities,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “We are committed to providing the support and resources needed to help every student succeed.”

There is also good news for the DeSoto County School District (DCS), which reported the third-highest four-year graduation rate percentage of 97.0 percent for the 2023-24 year. Only the Mississippi School of the Arts (100 percent) and the Mississippi School for Math and Science (99.1 percent) did better.  

DCS’ dropout rate, at the same time, was 2.5 percent. The four-year graduation rate for students with disabilities was 87.3 percent 

Following are the graduation percentages in the DeSoto County School District regarding male vs. female, ethnicities and other factors:  

Following is the breakdown by high school of graduation and dropout rates among high schools in DCS: 

“We are committed to making sure that all of our students have an opportunity to succeed beyond high school,” said DCS Supt. Cory Uselton. “This is a team effort from kindergarten through 12th grade, and these positive results are a testament to all of the hard work.”

You can read the complete report on the Mississippi Department of Education website.