SOCSD Recognized Among Nation's Top 100 School Districts on the Rise

In May, Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District was recognized as one of the nation's Top 100 "Districts on the Rise" by the Education Scorecard, a collaborative research project produced jointly by the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University and the Educational Opportunity Project (EOP) at Stanford University. 

"We are honored to be recognized in this list of the Top 100 school districts for improving achievement," said SOCSD Superintendent, Dr. Tony McGee. "It lets us know we're putting our efforts in the right places, and we're getting results in academic performance. Beyond that, it shows us what we already see every day – our boys and girls are growing."

Deemed a "high performing" school district, SOCSD has earned an overall A-rating from the Mississippi Department of Education for the last two years, and McGee says the academic growth the district has experienced is the result of consistent strategy. 

“Sustained progress doesn’t happen by chance,” he said. “It comes from aligning strong instruction, empowered leadership, and intentional supports, so every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

The Education Scorecard launched in 2022 as a collaboration between two of the United States' leading education research centers. It utilizes the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA), National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) and other K-12 school data to produce a timely and nationally-comparable resource for tracking student learning across communities, districts and states. It draws on state-level test results from more than 35 million students in 3rd through 8th grade. The Scorecard's list of Top 100 "Districts on the Rise" highlights districts whose students are improving faster than their peers in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math and provides an analysis and case study of each district's approach. SOCSD is the only district in Mississippi to be included in the 2026 list of Top 100.

According to a press release about the 2026 Education Scorecard, Professor Tom Kane, faculty director of Harvard’s CEPR said the study of “Districts on the Rise” shows that growth is possible regardless of location.

“The 108 ‘Districts on the Rise’ are proof that leadership matters and demographics are not destiny,” Kane said. “In districts with high poverty and persistent challenges, local leaders are finding ways to accelerate recovery. We owe it to our children to understand what they are doing and help spread it.” 

For Starkville Oktibbeha, district leaders say the success in student growth that landed SOCSD among the top 100 can be attributed to its commitment to strategic alignment in three key areas.

"Over the last three years, we have worked hard to align our efforts around improving classroom instruction, strengthening school leadership, and providing targeted student supports," said Dr. Vernita Wilson, SOCSD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.

Within these key components, she says the strategies emphasize practices that will most directly impact student learning. 

The district has placed an emphasis on high-quality instructional materials aligned with Mississippi Department of Education requirements for Math and ELA that bring consistency from classroom to classroom. That, paired with a structured approach to literacy prioritizing phonics and comprehension as well as math instruction utilizing manipulatives and concrete models, has begun to build success beginning in very early grades.

A diligent approach to analyzing data and using it at the classroom level has also boosted tools that teachers can use for helping each individual student grow in targeted areas unique to their learning path. It has allowed school leaders and classroom staff to quickly identify learning gaps and adjust real-time instruction to create more consistent progress.

For Starkville Oktibbeha, empowering teachers with data-driven tools goes hand in hand with growing leadership at the building level. The district has prioritized principal development as well as building a culture of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for principals and teachers where leaders can collaborate, share successful strategies and problem-solve. 

These areas of thoughtful leadership and practice have positioned the district among the top 100 demonstrating growth nationwide, but Wilson says it all comes back to the classroom and helping students succeed.

"We know that strategies aren't effective unless they are applied directly in our classrooms," she said. "The top priority is helping each student learn what they need to thrive academically and with all the other opportunities our district offers. That begins with helping teachers give the best instruction and growing leaders who can sustain a culture of excellence."

Superintendent McGee agrees and highlights the district's commitment to growth in all areas, not just academics.

"We were very proud to receive the district's first A-rating two years ago," he said. "But, scores on state tests don't begin to tell the full story of our students and our classrooms. When children are able to grow, build confidence in what they know, learn to express themselves and get a taste of achieving well on an assessment, they begin to see themselves as successful." 

He says that success can expand a student's idea of what's possible as they think about the future, and the district aims to provide a wealth of academic, athletic, arts and extracurricular opportunities to open those doors.

"We want to give students the tools and support to dream big and the confidence to pursue whatever they want for their future," he said. "Ultimately, every child's academic growth is about building and strengthening our community long-term. It's rewarding to see our teachers and students begin to move that needle."

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The Education Scorecard "Districts on the Rise" and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District case study can be found at https://educationscorecard.org/districts-on-the-rise/.

Click to download a copy of the SOCSD "Districts on the Rise" Case Study.