For the fourth year in a row, the Grenada School District has earned the distinction of being recognized as an “A” school district in the Mississippi Department of Education’s accountability results, making it one of the highest-performing districts in the state.
Fifty-two school districts achieved “A” ratings. Comparatively speaking, the Grenada School District finished in the middle of the pack among “A” districts with an accountability score of 707, which is tied with the Booneville School District for 26th out of 144 rated districts in the state. The score was just below the Union Public School District and Prentiss County School District, which both scored 710. Long Beach School District was the highest scoring “A” district with an accountability score of 794.
“This is not just a win for our school system – it’s a win for our entire community,” GSD Superintendent Dr. David Daigneault said in a prepared statement. “Our continued success shows what’s possible when an entire District – over 650 staff members strong – commits to giving every student their best opportunity to thrive. The ‘A’ rating reflects that united commitment.”
MDE released accountability grades for the 2024-25 school year just after 11 a.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 25. Results revealed that 80.1 percent of schools and 87.2 percent of districts earned a grade of C or higher. This represents a decrease from the 2023-24 school year, when 85.7 percent of schools and 93.9 percent of districts earned a C or higher.
“While Mississippi has made historic progress over the past decade, the areas of declining achievement demand our immediate attention,” Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, said. “The accountability grades provide important data to guide our work moving forward. Mississippi students have proven they can achieve at higher levels, and we owe it to them to continue challenging and supporting them so every graduate is prepared for lifelong success.”
Grenada Elementary School scored an “A” for the fifth time since 2018, while Grenada Middle School maintained its “B” rating and Grenada High School achieved an “A” rating for the third consecutive year.
As for Grenada County’s neighboring school districts, the Webster County School District is the only other “A” rated district with an accountability score of 670. The Calhoun County School District earned a “B” rating with a score of 638, while in Yalobusha County, the Coffeeville (608) and Water Valley (600) school districts also achieved “B” ratings. The Carroll County (586), Winona-Montgomery Consolidated (565), East Tallahatchie Consolidated (556) and West Tallahatchie Consolidated (553) school districts all received “C” accountability ratings. The Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District earned a “D” rating with a score of 499.
For more on this story, see next Wednesday’s edition of The Star.
