Mississippi’s school system has emerged as the fastest improving in the nation, with students excelling in reading and math despite the state being the poorest in the country and spending less per pupil than most other states.

According to the Urban Institute, when student demographics are considered, Mississippi ranks first in fourth-grade math and reading, and fourth in eighth-grade reading. Even without factoring in demographics like income, Mississippi’s Black students rank third nationally, and its low-income students outperform those in every other state.

What has been Mississippi’s key to success?

The state’s success is largely attributed to the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, passed in 2013. This law introduced reading coaches to struggling schools, ensured regular reading assessments for young children and involved parents if their child was falling behind.

A key component of the act is the requirement for third graders to pass a reading test to advance to the next grade unless they qualify for an exemption. This policy has motivated schools and families to intervene earlier, provide additional support for students held back and train teachers in effective reading methods.

According to Grace Breazeale, a K-12 Policy Associate at Mississippi First:

“The vast majority of districts showing improvement speaks to the effectiveness of the LBPA at targeting all districts, regardless of location,” she said.

Dr. Carey Wright, the former Mississippi superintendent who played a pivotal role in the transformation, emphasized the progress was not a miracle but the result of years of focused and hard work. She led the Mississippi education department from 2013 to 2022, during which the state went from second worst in 4th grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress to 21st.

She said in an interview in 2024 with Education Week that the Mississippi turnaround “was proof positive that, yes, children in poverty can learn and can succeed. As educators, our job is to do whatever it takes.”

Wright, now leading Maryland’s schools, highlighted the importance of prioritizing early childhood literacy. Maryland has recently adopted a similar third-grade reading retention policy, though its effect on scores remains to be seen.

Mississippi’s demographics, with nearly 50% of the student population being Black and around 42% white, demonstrate that educational success is achievable regardless of income and demographics.

“There really was just a cultural environment of low expectations for children,” Wright told Education Week about Mississippi. “My message was, no, all students are capable of learning and achieving, and we’re going to do everything we can to prepare our teachers and our leaders and our parents with what they need in order to make that happen.”