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More Mississippi school districts were rated A and fewer were rated F in the 2018-19 school year, according to unofficial accountability results.

On Tuesday, the Commission on School Accreditation reviewed unofficial school ratings for the most recent school year. In all, 31 districts were rated A, 35 districts were rated B, 35 districts were rated C, 23 districts were rated D, and 19 were rated F. More than a third of districts improved a letter grade.

The ratings won’t become official until the Mississippi Board of Education approves them at their Thursday meeting.

“Mississippi schools and districts are achieving at higher levels each year, and their grades demonstrate how well they are serving the children in their classrooms,” state superintendent of education Carey Wright said Tuesday.

The department of education releases these ratings each year to measure how well school districts are doing in terms of student achievement and progress. These A-F ratings are assigned based on multiple factors.

At the district and high school level, ratings are sorted out according to growth and proficiency on a number of tested subjects including reading, math, science and U.S. history, along with graduation rates, ACT scores and participation in accelerated programs like AP courses or dual enrollment. Elementary and middle schools are graded similarly, minus the graduation rates and higher-level testing.

In the past, schools with a 12th grade were graded on a 1,000 point scale, and schools without one were graded on a 700 point scale. This meant, generally speaking, that high schools used one scale and elementary and middle schools used the other. This year is the first in which non traditional high schools — high schools that include grades beyond the traditional grade 9-12 model — received an adjusted score. As a result, every school that was adjusted earned a higher point total, and 43 of the 80 schools earned a higher letter grade, according to the department.

Here are the top 10 school districts in the state:

Here are the bottom 10 school districts in the state:


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Kayleigh Skinner joined the Mississippi Today team in January 2017 as an education and legislative reporter and advanced to a senior staff member in her four years with the company. Before joining Mississippi Today, Kayleigh worked at The Hechinger Report, Chalkbeat Tennessee, and The Commercial Appeal. She has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC Newsday Radio to discuss her reporting.