(August 25, 2026) – We are pleased to announce that multiple Harrison County School District schools ranked among Mississippi’s top 25 in MAAP scale scores across elementary, middle, and high school assessments. The rankings are based on the Mississippi Department of Education’s newly released Mississippi Academic Assessment Program results for the 2025–26 school year.

A few of the standout results include:

• 1 number-one-ranked school in Mississippi

• 43 top-25 placements across HCSD

• 3 top-five rankings for West Harrison High

• 13 top-25 placements for North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle

• 12 top-25 placements for West Wortham Elementary & Middle

Congratulations to the following HCSD schools for earning top-five scale score rankings:

#1 in the State

• West Harrison High — Algebra I

#2 in the State

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — 3rd Grade Math

#3 in the State

• West Harrison High — English II

#4 in the State

• West Harrison High — Biology

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — 3rd Grade Math

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — 5th Grade Science

#5 in the State

• D’Iberville High — Algebra I

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — 5th Grade Reading

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — 5th Grade Science

We want to recognize the following HCSD schools for ranking among the top 25 in Mississippi:

3rd Grade Reading

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #6

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #9

• Harrison Central Elementary — #24

3rd Grade Math

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #2

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #4

4th Grade Reading

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #17

4th Grade Math

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #8

5th Grade Reading

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #5

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #12

• Pineville Elementary — #18

• Lizana Elementary — #22

5th Grade Math

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #9

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #18

5th Grade Science

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #4

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #5

• Lyman Elementary — #11

• Lizana Elementary — #18

• Three Rivers Elementary — #20

6th Grade Reading

• Pineville Elementary — #4

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #6

• Lizana Elementary — #11

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #14

6th Grade Math

• Lizana Elementary — #6

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #9

• Pineville Elementary — #12

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #21

7th Grade Reading

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #8

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #24

7th Grade Math

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #8

• Creekbend Elementary & Middle — #21

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #22

8th Grade Reading

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #13

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #14

8th Grade Math

• North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle — #21

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #22

8th Grade Science

• West Wortham Elementary & Middle — #4

• West Harrison Middle — #22

High School Algebra I

• West Harrison High — #1

• D’Iberville High — #5

High School Biology

• West Harrison High — #4

• D’Iberville High — #21

High School English II

• West Harrison High — #3

• D’Iberville High — #24

“These results reflect the hard work of our students, teachers, administrators, and families across the Harrison County School District. We are proud to celebrate these accomplishments and the continued commitment to student achievement throughout HCSD,” said HCSD Superintendent William Bentz.

The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) measures students’ progress toward academic goals that equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college and the workforce. Mississippi teachers helped develop MAAP tests, which align with the learning goals for Mississippi classrooms. MAAP measures student performance in ELA and mathematics in grades 3-8, science in grades 5 and 8, and in high school English II, Algebra I, and Biology.

MAAP results make up a large portion of the A-F accountability grades that schools and districts earn annually. The Mississippi State Board of Education will release accountability grades for the 2025-26 school year at its October 15 meeting.

Accountability grades for the 2025-26 school year will set a new baseline for measuring school and district performance because they will be based on new, higher standards. Therefore, you cannot compare 2025-26 grades to previous years. Mississippi law requires the state to increase accountability standards when 75% of students are proficient or when 65% of schools or districts earn a grade of “B” or higher. Mississippi schools and districts reached that milestone in 2023. At that time, 74% of schools and 71% of districts had earned an A or B, up from just 37% for both in 2016.