SC Mississippi News

Among the ethnicities represented in Scott County schools, Black was the most prevalent among the county students in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Of the 5,645 students attending Scott County schools, 36.1% were Black. White students were the second most common ethnicity, making up 33.6% of Scott County student body.

In the previous school year, Black students were also the most common group in Scott County, representing 37.3% of the student body.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 0.2% when compared to the previous year.

Mississippi's schools, with an enrollment of 436,523 in the 2023-24 academic year, are mostly divided between two ethnicities, with Black or African American students being the largest racial group at 46.86%, followed by white students at 42.14%.

Students in the state showed a significant improvement in the 2022-23 academic year, demonstrating sustained progress in their post-pandemic recovery. Overall, 87% of schools and 91% of districts achieved a grade of C or better, compared to 81% of schools and 87% of districts in the prior year.

Results from the 2022-23 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) showed students reaching an all-time high in all core subjects. Students better performed on the Math and English portion of the test, achieving grades around 5% better than in the previous year.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	% of Total Student Population	Total Enrollment
Scott Central Attendance Center	Black	52.9%	871
Hawkins Middle School	Hispanic	45.5%	451
Sebastopol Attendance Center	White	80.4%	684
Bettye Mae Jack Middle School	White	32.9%	511
Lake High School	Black	51.7%	205
Lake Elementary School	White	52.1%	305
Forest Elementary School	Hispanic	47.4%	726
Lake Middle School	White	51.4%	247
Morton High School	Hispanic	33.1%	490
Forest High School	Black	43.9%	453
Morton Elementary School	Hispanic	36%	702