Tishomingo County Schools Earn B Rating Under New State Scale

Tishomingo County schools earned a B rating from the state for the 2025-2026 school year, the first year Mississippi graded districts under a tougher scale. The Tishomingo County School District scored 686 points out of a possible 1,000 and ranked 36th among the state’s 148 districts, a count that includes charter schools, according to results the district shared.

The district held an A the year before with 685 points. Its total score went up by one point this year, but the letter grade dropped because the state raised the number of points needed for each grade. District leaders said the 686 would have been “a solid A” under the old cut scores.

How Tishomingo County schools scored

Elementary and middle schools are graded on a 700-point scale. High schools and districts are graded on a 1,000-point scale. Here is how each school did, with last year’s result for reference:

• Tishomingo County High School: A, 782 points (A, 791 in 2025)
• Belmont School: B, 756 points (B, 714 in 2025)
• Tishomingo Elementary School: B, 421 points (B, 393 in 2025)
• Iuka Middle School: B, 402 points (C, 365 in 2025)
• Iuka Elementary School: C, 395 points (B, 413 in 2025)
• Burnsville Elementary School: C, 389 points (B, 383 in 2025)
• District overall: B, 686 points (A, 685 in 2025)

Iuka Middle School moved up a letter grade, from a C to a B, with a 37-point gain. Belmont School added 42 points and Tishomingo Elementary added 28. Burnsville Elementary’s score rose by six points, yet its grade fell from a B to a C under the new requirements. Iuka Elementary and the high school were the only two schools whose point totals went down.

Why this year’s grades are different

The Mississippi Department of Education changed several things at once this year. It raised the cut scores for each letter grade, changed the English Language Arts test, and revised the accountability model itself. The district said those changes mean this year’s results cannot fairly be compared with earlier years, and that the new scores set a baseline for the years ahead.

The model looks at more than one test. It counts:

• Student proficiency and growth in English and math in grades 3-8, Algebra I, and English II
• Growth among the lowest-performing 25% of students
• Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8 and in Biology I
• English learners’ progress toward proficiency
• The four-year graduation rate
• A new readiness index for high schools and districts, based on the ACT, ACT WorkKeys, and the ASVAB
• Advanced Placement, dual credit, and career and technical certifications
• A new measure for diploma endorsements and on-time and five-year graduation

Superintendent: scores are one measure

Superintendent Christie Holly said the district is proud of the work by students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and the school board. She said results rose in some areas and slipped slightly in others.

“We are already looking at our data and making intentional instructional decisions on how to improve our instruction and create opportunities for student success,” Holly said in the district’s announcement.

She added that test scores are “just one measure of the success of a school and a district,” pointing to athletics, fine arts, student activities, and job readiness as other areas where the schools do well.

The district posted its summary on Oct. 19. Neighboring districts received their grades in the same state release. See how Alcorn and Corinth schools and Prentiss County schools fared.

Source: Tishomingo County School District