Foster care students at Pearl River Central Junior High School who achieved Science Performance Level 4 in 2023-24 school year

Pearl River Central Junior High School saw up to 40% of their foster care students reach Science Performance Level 4 in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Students in the state showed a significant improvement in the 2022-23 academic year, demonstrating sustained progress in their post-pandemic recovery. Overall, 87% of schools and 91% of districts achieved a grade of C or better, compared to 81% of schools and 87% of districts in the prior year.

Results from the 2022-23 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) showed students reaching an all-time high in all core subjects. Students better performed on the Math and English portion of the test, achieving grades around 5% better than in the previous year.

Currently Mississippi's schools, with an enrollment of 436,523 in the 2023-24 academic year, are mostly divided between two ethnicities, with Black or African American students being the largest racial group at 46.86%, followed by white students at 42.14%.

Student Group	Science Performance Level 4
All	32.3%
Black or African American	36.4%
Economically Disadvantaged	35.7%
Female	33%
Foster Care	31-40%
Hispanic or Latino	11-20%
Homeless	91-100%
Male	31.7%
Non Economically Disadvantaged	29.1%
Non English Learners	32.6%
Students with Disabilities	0-10%
Students without Disabilities	31-40%
Multiracial	47.1%
White	31.6%