Districts across the Delta region saw the largest academic gains in the state in the past year, according to new district rankings released Thursday.
Because the state implemented higher cut-off scores this year, however, the accountability scores didn’t always reflect that progress.
Some of last year’s lowest performing districts saw large improvements. Clarksdale’s city school district jumped a whopping 102 points since last year, moving from an F to a C. Greenwood-Leflore moved 98 points from a D to a C. Both made some of the largest single year gains out of any other district in the state.
Clarksdale schools were in bad shape last year. A big factor was record teacher vacancies in state tested subjects. The district had the second highest number of teacher vacancies in July 2025. Over a third of students were chronically absent.
Superintendent Toya Harrell-Matthews took a chance on a new school leader to change the culture in a school plagued by dysfunction and low academic outcomes for students. It paid off.
“I knew what her abilities were, and how well she worked with students,” Harrell-Matthews said of Denise Calhoun, the new principal at W.A. Higgins Middle School. “And that’s the thing, you have to be able to build relationships before you can do any type of instruction, before anything else can happen in the classroom.”
Calhoun, a Webb native, helped to move the school over 186 points on the state accountability score. The rate of students proficient in math nearly tripled from the previous year.
“I felt that that was going to be a cornerstone in turning this building around to have someone who could build relationships and build trust with students and understand that even if a student has behavioral issues, that you have to champion them, and not just give up on them,” Harrell-Matthews said.
Through social media and her network, Calhoun was able to hire 15 teachers to ensure the school was fully staffed. She brought back choir and art as electives to give students something to look forward to in the day. She also worked with teachers on new strategies to incentivize better behavior, instead of relying solely on removing disruptive students from classrooms. She also restarted after-school detention.
Calhoun celebrated days without student fights, which were frequent in years past. She started a countdown tracker she called “days of peace.” After 50 days of peace, she held a citywide parade and celebrated the students. Students later made it 85 days without any fights.
“And so every time that our students reached another milestone, we would celebrate them even bigger. And so it got to the point where students were so appreciative of everything that was going on that they would report when issues were arising,” she said.
She instituted a bootcamp in the eight weeks leading up to state testing, where students practiced math, science and reading skills. Teachers provided additional support and remediation for special education students. She called it Success Academy.
Also, Harrell-Matthews was adamant that schools in the district have a clean clothes closet for low-income students, who might stay home to avoid ridicule for wearing old or dirty clothes.
“You have to address student needs first before you can educate them,” Harrell-Matthews said. “So we take the child where they are, and we try to work with them as best we can.”
Superintendent Kenneth Pulley also credits professional development and support for principals with Greenwood-Leflore’s gains. He met with school leaders weekly to review student data to determine which students required additional support.
“We have to hold people accountable, and have high expectations for all students, and maintain a positive atmosphere,” he said. “As long as we know that what we’re doing was right for children, then we know we’ve made the right decision.”
He said a collaborative and receptive board helped implement policies as problems arose. He also put into place professional development sessions that were geared towards curriculum planning.
“As superintendent, yes, we wear a lot of hats, but as superintendent, we must first be instructional leaders,” he said. “That’s where my focus is. And I think when people know where the leader’s focus is, then they will keep their focus there, too.”
Amanda-Elzy High School in Greenwood, Miss., Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayHe decided to shutter Amanda Elzy Junior High School last October after a failing grade on the state accountability system and low enrollment. Now, all district middle schoolers attend the same school, which allowed the district to pool resources. He said school culture improved, too. Greenwood Middle jumped 100 points in the accountability scale.
“I have to have the hard conversations when they need to be had. My staff members know when we do that, it’s coming from a good place. It’s coming from a place of wanting the best for our children.”
Nearly a third of Leflore County residents live below the poverty line. The fact is not lost on Pulley, who grew up in the community he now serves.
“Our attitude is that, in spite of where you come from or what situation you find yourself in, it is our job to still provide quality instruction,” he said.
Western Line School District, which is based outside Greenville, and West Tallahatchie School District, which is based in Sumner, also made sizable academic gains. Both districts would’ve been a B under last year’s cut-off scores.
Lawrence Hudson, Western Line’s superintendent, said his district’s improvements were a result of “a little bit more fussing” and personnel shakeups at different schools.
Western Line School District Superintendent Lawrence Hudson, wishes second grader Dalary Salazar, center, a happy birthday, during a visit at Riverside Elementary School, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, in Avon. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today“We had a few teacher areas that were not producing, and they brought the whole district down,” he said. “Our biggest focus is not on strategies but making sure we’ve got the right people.”
Nearly all of the district’s schools posted improvements across the board, he said.
That’s why Hudson was disappointed when he received his district’s letter grade this year.
“To be at a point where you’ve gotten every school up and not get the recognition, it’s a little discouraging, but we know what we’ve got to do,” he said. “We’ve got to buckle down and do what it takes to be recognized as a high-performing district.”
When reached by phone on Wednesday, House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville, commended Delta schools on their progress.
However, he admitted it may not be enough to ward off consolidation talks swirling at the state Capitol. State lawmakers are eyeing both Western Line and West Tallahatchie schools for mergers next year.
“We obviously don’t want to mess up good things, but here’s the problem I see,” he said. “When you are constantly losing students, it’s just a matter of time when you’re eventually going to have no money to keep the school afloat.”
Mississippi has lost nearly 70,000 public school students since 2013, taking funding with them. Delta schools, in particular, are shrinking.
“Educators for years have said we need more money, and sometimes they’re not wrong, they do need more money,” Roberson said. “But do we put more money from the state side or start trying to look at this differently?”
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