A school in the West Tallahatchie School District made notable strides on a state accountability scale while two schools in East Tallahatchie regressed, according to a report from the Mississippi Department of Education.
MDE on Thursday released a report on 2024-25 school district and school-level accountability ratings.
The Mississippi Statewide Accountability System uses letter grades of A-F to reflect how well schools and school districts are performing based on standardized criterion.
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Grades are based on student achievement, individual student growth, graduation rate, student participation in testing and other measures.
On a districtwide basis, both the East Tallahatchie and West Tallahatchie school systems remained unchanged at C, based on a comparison of 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year results.
That said, East Tallahatchie did achieve significant overall growth on a quality point scale. The number of points accumulated by a school system or individual school determines its letter grade.
During the 2023-24 school year, the East Tallahatchie School District was tallied at 556 total points. By the 2024-25 period, that figure had jumped to 585 — just 14 points shy of the minimum 599 required to earn a B grade, which would be a first.
The West Tallahatchie School District regressed slightly from 557 quality points in 2023-24 to 553 for the latest grading year.
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Among individual schools, R.H. Bearden Elementary saw the greatest local growth in state accountability outcome for the period, jumping two letter grades — from D in 2023-24 to B during the 2024-25 school year. It was the best showing for Bearden in the history of the state’s present grading system, which was adopted and implemented in 2012. The next best result was C, as recently as 2017. Bearden houses students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
The Bearden B was fueled in part by marked growth in reading (from 22.8% to 27%), math (from 34.2% to 41.9%) and science (from 37 to 37.1%) proficiency. Reading growth was up from 34.6% to 55.8%. The total points earned by the school under the accountability system rose from 298 during 2023-24 to 385 in 2024-25.
Other schools in Tallahatchie County were mixed in quality points earned.
Charleston Elementary and Charleston High schools experienced quality point declines that dropped them by one accountability grade level — from B to C — in MDE ranks.
» Charleston Elementary fell from 377 points in 2023-24 to 336 points in 2024-25, with losses in reading proficiency (28.2% to 24.8%) and reading growth (61.8% to 51%) leading the way. The school did see gains in math proficiency (17.3% to 24.8%).
» CHS saw a huge 70-point slide, from 692 to 622 points. The losses were across-the-board, dipping from 18.2% to 15.9% in reading proficiency, from 84.4% to 63.9% in math proficiency, from 58.5% to 54.5% in history proficiency and from 27.6% to 10.9% in college and career readiness. The four-year graduation rate trended downward slightly, from 88.4% to 88.3%.
Both Charleston Middle School and West Tallahatchie High School retained their letter grade ratings, both at C.
» Charleston Middle School saw an improvement in its overall score, from 303 points in 2023-24 to 314 in 2024-25, with universal growth in subject-area outcomes. For 2024-25, 20.2% of its standardized test-takers showed proficiency in math, up from 10.5% the previous year. There also were gains in math proficiency, from 25.6% to 27.6%; science proficiency, from 37% to 47.9%; and reading growth. English Language Arts proficiency more than doubled, from 10.5% to 20.2%, and overall growth improved from 29% to 42.6%. The lowest 25% subgroup performance increased from 10.5% to 20.2%.
» West Tally experienced mixed results, with total points falling from 581 to 526 — a 55-point decline. WTHS saw proficiency gains in math (32.4% to 34.8%) and history (55.4% to 64.2%), but proficiency losses in reading (20.7% to 20.6%), science (44.2% to 35.4%) and college and career readiness (from 28.8% to 20.5%). The four-year graduation rate fell from 92.3% to 80%.
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Local school leaders responded to a request for comment on the latest state ratings by emailing statements.
East Tallahatchie Superintendent Raymond Russell said the district’s grade of C — successful — for a second year “reflects the daily effort of our students, who continue to give their best. It also speaks to families who set the tone at home, teachers whose careful preparation shows up in every lesson, and the administrators and support staff who keep the focus on instruction and student needs. I’m grateful for each of them, and for a board that has championed both campus improvements and instructional gains.”
While saying he is "encouraged" by the district's progress toward a B grade, he admitted there are some matters to address on a campus-by-campus basis.
At CES, for instance, Russell said efforts to address the drop in reading proficiency are underway and involve "taking steps to address this concern through targeted reading interventions, additional support for teachers in literacy instruction, and stronger alignment with our district pacing guides."
At CHS, the superintendent said the proficiency drops across multiple subject areas were caused by "several factors ... including higher numbers of students entering below grade level and challenges in sustaining consistent growth across content areas." In response, Russell noted, "we are working to expand tutoring opportunities, strengthen instructional coaching, and ensure that curriculum resources are fully leveraged to support both remediation and enrichment."
He pointed to the "significant growth" in numerous areas at Charleston Middle School and said, "These results reflect the hard work of our students and educators and show that the strategies being implemented are beginning to have a positive impact."
East Tallahatchie School District Superintendent Raymond Russell
"Although Charleston Elementary and Charleston High schools experienced setbacks, the district's overall climb in quality points and the strong growth at Charleston Middle School demonstrate progress and momentum that we are committed to building upon," Russell noted. "We view these results as both an affirmation of growth and a call to action, and we remain focused on implementing the necessary supports to ensure stronger outcomes in the upcoming year."
Now in his third year at the helm of the Charleston school system, he said, “We’ve come a long way, and we still have work to do.”
“Our goal remains an A-rated district,” Russell continued. “We will continue to move forward with a steady plan: strong teaching in every classroom, daily attendance, and targeted support, so that every learner grows. We’re building a culture that insists on excellence and belonging, because every family, every child, and every voice matters. Two years of being rated ‘Successful’ is meaningful momentum — but it is not our finish line.”
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West Tallahatchie Superintendent Tony Young, who is in his first full school term after assuming the leadership role on Jan. 1, 2025, following the retirement of Dr. Sherry Ellington, said he is “elated and truly grateful for the privilege” he has to serve the district.
“We have seen tremendous progress, and we continue to stand as a successful school district,” Young noted. “The progress made is a direct result of the hard work of our administrators and teachers, the dedication of our staff, the brilliance of our students, and the unwavering support of our school board members, former superintendent, families and community stakeholders. Together, we have laid a strong foundation of excellence and achievement.”
West Tallahatchie School District Superintendent Tony Young
Young added, “This is only the beginning. The journey ahead is filled with opportunity, and I believe the best is yet to come. With unity, commitment and faith in what we can accomplish together, we will continue to move forward stronger than ever — preparing our students not only for success but for greatness.”
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According to MDE, the federal government requires all states to annually assess the performance of public schools.
The following factors are included in accountability letter grades:
» Student performance in math and English Language Arts on state assessments in grades 3-8 and in high school Algebra I and English II
» Whether all students are meeting annual expected growth in math and English Language Arts
» Whether the lowest performing 25% of students are meeting annual expected growth in math and English Language Arts
» Student performance in science on state assessments in grades 5, 8 and Biology
» Student performance on the high school U.S. History state assessment
» How well English learners are making progress toward proficiency in the English language
» Student performance on the ACT or the ACT WorkKeys assessment
» Student participation and performance in accelerated courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual credit college courses
» Whether high school students are graduating on time
MDE noted that the letter grades do not measure how an individual student or teacher is performing, nor do they consider other things a school may be doing well, such as meeting students’ emotional, social or health needs or how well students are performing in other subjects.
MDE reported that 80.1% of Mississippi public schools and 87.2% of state public school districts earned an accountability grade of C or higher for 2024-25, a decrease from the 2023-24 school year, when those numbers were 85.7% and 93.9%, respectively.
Some area school districts grading A for 2024-25 were Grenada, Lafayette County and Oxford.
Among those grading B were Coffeeville School District, South Panola School District and Water Valley School District.
Some other area C districts are Coahoma County, North Bolivar, Quitman County and Sunflower County.
Among D-grading districts were Greenwood-Leflore, North Panola and West Bolivar.
Clarksdale Municipal was a local district to grade at F.
Among area A-rated schools were Batesville, Grenada, Lafayette and Quitman County elementary schools; Oxford Early Childhood Center; Batesville Intermediate School; Batesville Middle School; Lafayette Upper Elementary School; Lafayette Middle School; and Grenada, Lafayette, Oxford and South Panola high schools.
Editor's note: This story has been revised from its original version to include additional comments from East Tallahatchie School Superintendent Raymond Russell.
