Mississippi's strength in education remains especially notable, as it remains at or near the bottom for the other domains covered in the report. The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranked Mississippi 47th in economic well-being, 48th for overall child well-being, 48th in family and community and 50th in health.
Linda Southward, executive director of the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, says even though the state’s non-education rankings remain low, Mississippi is making gains in tracked areas like teen birth rates and children living in poverty that are worth celebrating.
“We often hear, and we've heard for decades, that Mississippi is last in everything,” Southward said. “According to the national Kids Count data, we have not been last overall in several years.”
The indicators tracked in the data book for education rankings are school attendance among three and four year olds, reading proficiency among fourth graders, eighth grade math proficiency and on time high school graduations.
Southward says the improvements to Mississippi student’s reading and math scores over the past decade demonstrate the long-term results of investments made into things like public pre-k and literacy coaches.
“When people do come together, public-private partnerships, communities working together, change can happen and we've seen this in the result of the rankings for education this year.”
Continued improvements in the rate of high school students graduating on time was also a major driver in Mississippi’s overall ranking jumping from 30th to 16th, according to Southward. The Mississippi Department of Education noted in a press release that over the past decade, the statewide graduation rate has risen above the national average, going from 75% to 89%.
“Mississippi’s momentum in education is the result of strong policies and dedicated, effective educators,” Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, said in the press release. “Our students’ achievements have made the state a national leader in improving academic outcomes. … Mississippi students have proven once again that there is no limit to what they can accomplish with the strong support of Mississippi educators.”
Southward's organization is a state-level partner on Kids Count and produces an annual Factbook to further contextualize the data. She says these resources are helpful for identifying areas that need improvement, and thinks having early interventions tailored to children's needs would go a long way in improving outcomes throughout a child's primary education.
“The earlier we can identify children's needs, whatever that might be, whether it's a vision problem, a hearing problem, learning concern, as these children can be identified and have the appropriate services, the appropriate referrals, and the follow-up, it's going to a huge difference in the trajectory of their lives,” Southward said.
