NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 20, 2025
Mississippi State Board of Education approves plans for three high schools to become Schools of Innovation in 2025-26
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) has approved plans for three high schools – Meridian High School, Richland High School and Pontotoc High School – to become Schools of innovation for the 2025-26 school year.
Additionally, George County High School was renewed as a School of Innovation, while two districts – Tupelo School District and Oxford School District – were renewed as Districts of Innovation.
Mississippi will now have 19 Schools of Innovation and 10 Districts of Innovation. See complete lists at Districts of Innovation and Schools of Innovation.
“There is no one-size-fits-all to creating successful academic outcomes for students. I congratulate these new Schools of Innovation for seeking to implement different, innovative systems of learning,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “The MDE is ready to offer guidance and support in this endeavor.”
Legislation passed in 2015 to allow districts and schools within a district to apply for District of Innovation or School of Innovation status, which enables the district or school to request exemptions from certain state regulations to improve student achievement. Through the innovative model, districts and schools have flexibility in areas such as seat time and teacher certification to allow for innovative scheduling and instruction.
Districts of Innovation and Schools of Innovation are intended to expand learning choices, implement rigorous standards, reduce achievement gaps, reduce student remediation post-graduation, increase student engagement and increase the number of students who are ready for college and/or career.
Meridian High School applied for the School of Innovation to implement a College and Career Academy model of education designed to help all students reach their college and career goals. In this model, all students are placed in an academy beginning in ninth grade and continue until graduation with the intended goal of improving student attendance, engagement, and graduation rates. It will provide hands-on, application-based academics to solve learning issues in its current traditional model of education. Some performance measures will include increasing the number of dual credit courses taken by students, improving the average senior composite ACT score to 18, increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses, and growing the number of signed business partners.
Richland High School plans to introduce a flexible block schedule into the school day to better support students’ academic growth, provide enrichment opportunities, and promote equity by ensuring every student, regardless of morning arrival time or transportation, has access to the same opportunities for success. Performance measures will include improved attendance, increased growth on state assessments, expansion of vocational certifications, increased enrollment and improved scores on Advanced Placement courses and exams, and raising the school rating to an A.
Pontotoc High School proposes transitioning from a 4×4 block schedule to a 5×5 block schedule to enhance instructional quality, expand student opportunities, and directly address challenges related to seat time compliance, course accessibility, and equity. Performance measures will include increasing the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in all tested areas, improving average ACT composite score for juniors and seniors, increasing the percentage of English Learners meeting growth toward proficiency, increasing Advanced Placement and dual-credit course enrollment and success rates, and expanding Career Technical Education (CTE) enrollment.
To see the complete plans of all schools, go to March 20, 2025 SBE Board materials.
Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.
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Media Contact:
Jean Cook, APR
Chief of Communication
601-359-3515
jcook@mdek12.org
Shanderia Minor
Public Information Officer
601-359-3515
sminor@mdek12.org
