JPS school district is now ranked a C accountability school.

Jackson Public School District recently improved from a D accountability rating to a C accountability rating, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Superintendent Errick L. Greene, Ed.D., said the state’s accountability systems rate schools with grades from A to F based on test scores and graduation rates.

“In 2019, JPS earned a D rating, which was an improvement over the year prior,” Greene said, acknowledging that Jackson Public School District had been at a failing accountability score in prior years and at one point faced a state takeover. “We are excited to continue our march towards great excellence at the JPS school district.”

Greene said the work did not come easy or overnight, but it was achieved by mobilizing educators to support scholars in and out of the classrooms.

In addition to the overall district improvement in accountability ratings, Obama Elementary School, a part of the Jackson Public School District, is ranked the No. 1 elementary school in Mississippi. Three additional elementary schools in the JPS district are ranked in the top 20 elementary schools in Mississippi.

“Lester Elementary School (in South Jackson) is currently ranked at No. 5, McWillie Elementary School and Wells APAC Elementary school all rank in the top 20,” Greene said. “This is a very important milestone in the JPS School District. We are no longer considered a low-performing school district.”

Yoland Lloyd, principal at John Hopkins Elementary, said the school is excited to be a part of the JPS school district.