Several Mississippi Coast high schools rank in the top 24 in the state, study says
Several of Mississippi’s best public high schools are on the Gulf Coast, a new report from popular school ranking website Niche says.
Niche, which calls itself the “leading platform connecting students and families with colleges and schools,” just released their 10th annual Best Schools and Districts rankings for 2024.
None of Mississippi’s public high schools cracked Niche’s top 100 public high schools in the country, but several South Mississippi schools ranked high in the state.
While none of the Coast’s schools made the top spot — that goes to the The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus— Ocean Springs High School ranked as No. 2 and Biloxi, Pass Christian and St. Martin ranked fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
According to Niche, schools are graded and ranked throughout the U.S. using, “user input — ratings from current students, alumni and parents” and “quantitative data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities, extracurricular activity opportunities and more.”
Niche also ranks schools by things like most diverse, best teachers, best college prep, best for STEM and best for athletes.
Biloxi High School ranked No. 1 for most diverse, St. Martin High School ranked sixth for best teachers and Gautier High School ranked fourth for best college prep.
Niche also ranks the best school districts in Mississippi. For 2024, Niche ranked Biloxi Public School District No. 1 and Ocean Springs School District No. 2 in the state.
Here are the top 25 of Niche’s best public high schools in Mississippi:
The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
Ocean Springs High School
Lewisburg High School
Biloxi High School
Pass Christian High School
St. Martin High School
Pearl High School
Madison Central High School
Oak Grove High School
Gautier High School
Petal High School
Nanih Waiya Attendance Center
Oxford High School
Caledonia High School
Northwest Rankin High School
East Union Attendance Center
Olive Branch High School
D’Iberville Senior High School
Germantown High School
West Lauderdale High School
Lafayette High School
Brandon High School
Tupelo High School
Center Hill High School
Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information provided by Niche. Niche listed Mississippi’s 21st best school as Walhalla High School, which is in South Carolina.
