DeSoto County Schools Earn A Grade Under Tougher State Standards
DeSoto County Schools has earned an A grade in the Mississippi Department of Education’s 2025-26 accountability ratings, released Thursday, Oct. 15. That keeps Mississippi’s largest school district in the top tier even though the state raised the bar for every letter grade this year.
According to the DeSoto Times-Tribune, DeSoto County was one of 31 districts out of 148 statewide to earn an A, about 21 percent of all Mississippi districts. The district’s four-year graduation rate of 97.1 percent ranked among the 10 best in the state.
How DeSoto County’s 40 schools graded out
Individual school results across the district’s 40 campuses were more mixed under the new, higher cut scores:
- 12 schools earned an A
- 10 schools earned a B
- 14 schools earned a C
- 4 schools earned a D
Lewisburg High School posted the district’s best graduation rate at 99 percent. Families can look up their own school’s grade and detailed scores on the Mississippi Department of Education’s accountability website.
Why the A grade came under tougher rules
The 2025-26 ratings are the first issued under higher A-F cut scores approved by the State Board of Education in November 2025. State law requires the standards to rise once student proficiency tops 75 percent, or once 65 percent of schools or districts earn a B or better. Mississippi crossed that threshold in 2023.
Because of the change, MDE cautions that this year’s grades should not be compared with prior years. A school that scored the same number of points as last year, or even improved, could still receive a lower letter grade. That context matters for the DeSoto County schools whose grades slipped this fall.
Statewide, 53.9 percent of schools and 50.7 percent of districts earned an A or B. A total of 203 schools, or 24 percent, earned an A.
What goes into a school’s grade
Elementary and middle schools can earn up to 700 points, while high schools and districts can earn up to 1,000. The 2025-26 model measures:
- Proficiency and growth in English language arts and math in grades 3-8
- Growth among the lowest-performing 25 percent of students
- Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8
- Progress by English learners
- Results on high school Algebra I, English II and Biology exams
- Four-year graduation rate
- A new Readiness Index for high schools and districts, which counts ACT, SAT, WorkKeys and ASVAB results, AP and dual credit courses, career and technical education, industry certifications and diploma endorsements
A long run at the top
The new grade continues a long streak of A ratings for DeSoto County Schools, which serves roughly 35,000 students in Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Hernando, Walls, Lewisburg, Center Hill and Lake Cormorant. Last year the district earned an A with 703 points and a 97 percent graduation rate, the highest in its history at the time.
Earlier today, the City of Olive Branch publicly congratulated the district’s teachers, administrators, students, staff and parents on the new ratings.
Related: DeSoto County Schools retain A rating in 2025 results | Accountability ratings released for 2025-2026
Source: DeSoto Times-Tribune
