Mississippi Gulf News

Among the ethnicities represented in Jackson County schools, white was the most prevalent among the county students in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Of the 22,849 students attending Jackson County schools, 57.5% were white. Black students were the second most common ethnicity, making up 24.7% of Jackson County student body.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Jackson County, representing 58.2% of the student body.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 0.2% when compared to the previous year.

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%.

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.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	% of Total Student Population	Total Enrollment
East Central Upper Elementary School	White	91.7%	555
St. Martin North Elementary School	White	52.6%	557
Moss Point High School	Black	75.7%	493
Ocean Springs Middle School	White	70.5%	964
Central Elementary School	Black	51.8%	218
Cherokee Elementary School	Black	39.5%	185
Lake Elementary School	White	61.4%	88
Trent Lott Academy	Black	44.5%	510
St. Martin High School	White	59.5%	1,320
Singing River Academy	Black	38.7%	398
St. Martin East Elementary School	White	62.3%	700
Vancleave Middle School	White	88.3%	548
Pascagoula High School	Black	48.1%	1,117
Pecan Park Elementary School	White	63.4%	503
Vancleave Upper Elementary School	White	90.7%	345
Eastlawn Elementary School	White	40.5%	331
Vancleave Lower Elementary School	White	84.9%	657
Magnolia Park Elementary School	White	68.6%	636
Beach Elementary School	White	79.1%	105
William M. Colmer Middle School	Black	46.3%	547
Gautier Elementary School	Black	47.3%	402
East Central Lower Elementary School	White	89.7%	601
Moss Point Escatawpa Upper Elementary School	Black	71.3%	335
Arlington Heights Elementary School	Black	56.1%	360
Vancleave High School	White	89.5%	745
St. Martin Upper Elementary School	White	60.1%	599
East Central Middle School	White	92.2%	567
Oak Park Elementary School	White	76.2%	483
Moss Point Kreole Primary School	Black	71.1%	408
Gautier High School	Black	43.7%	874
St. Martin Middle School	White	58.4%	949
Ocean Springs High School	White	70.8%	1,951
Jackson Elementary School	Black	60%	165
Exceptional School	White	41.5%	41
Ocean Springs Upper Elementary School	White	72.8%	1,271
College Park Elementary	White	39.4%	315
Gautier Middle School	Black	41.2%	437
Martin Bluff	White	40.2%	408
East Central High School	White	93.1%	793
Magnolia Middle School	Black	70.4%	368