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Jackson, Miss.—Lt. Governor Hosemann recognized 175 schools and 12 school districts across Mississippi for a chronic absenteeism of 15 percent or less during the 2023-2024 school year. Each of these schools received a “Lt. Governor’s Attendance Award” and letter honoring their achievement.
Hosemann has identified tackling chronic absenteeism in Mississippi schools as a priority for the 2025 Legislative Session. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing more than 18 days (10 percent) of the school year for any reason including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions.
Mississippi’s chronic absenteeism rate for the 2023-2024 school year was 24.4 percent. While the rate is lower than some other states, it is still more than 10 percentage points above the state’s 13 percent rate during the 2018-2019 school year.
“The goal should be for every school in Mississippi to reach its pre-pandemic rate, and then keep trending downward. When children are in the classroom, they are safe and they are learning,” Hosemann said. “This award is meant to celebrate schools concentrating on bringing their attendance rates up and encourage others to set the same goal.”
Hosemann has cited several possible solutions to address chronic absenteeism in the 2025 Session including:
- Restricting the use of cellphones in public schools, which has been shown in recent years to severely impact student mental health, particularly during classroom instruction. Some other states and school districts in Mississippi have already implemented policies banning or restricting the use of cellphones in schools;
- Moving school attendance officers from the Mississippi Department of Education to district-level supervision to encourage better personal relationships between the district, parents, students, the wider community, courts, and law enforcement;
- Increasing school attendance officer salaries. School attendance officers start at $24,528.29 in Mississippi; and
- Encouraging low-performing schools, which often have high chronic absenteeism rates, to consider moving to a modified calendar. A modified calendar more evenly disperses school days throughout the year, provides more short breaks during the school year, and shortens the summer, when students often experience learning loss.
To learn more about Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, visit www.ltgovhosemann.ms.gov.
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List of Lt. Governor’s Attendance Award Recipients
School Districts
Booneville School District
East Jasper Consolidated School District
Enterprise School District
Jefferson County School District
New Albany Public Schools
Newton Municipal School District
North Tippah School District
Okolona Separate School District
Prentiss County School District
Rankin County School District
Smith County School District
Water Valley School District
Individual Schools
ALCORN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Alcorn Central Elementary School
Alcorn Central Middle School
Kossuth Middle School
BALDWYN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Baldwyn Elementary School
BILOXI PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Biloxi Junior High School
North Bay Elementary School
BOONEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Anderson Elementary School
- H. Long Booneville Middle School
CALHOUN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bruce Elementary School
Calhoun City Elementary School
Vardaman Attendance Center
CHICKASAW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Houston Lower Elementary School
Houston Upper Elementary School
CHOCTAW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Ackerman Elementary School
French Camp Elementary School
CLEVLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bell Elementary School
- M. Smith Elementary School
Hayes Cooper Center for Math, Science and Technology
Pearman Elementary School
CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Clinton Park Elementary School
Eastside Elementary School
Lovett Elementary School
Northside Elementary School
COLUMBIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Columbia Elementary School
Columbia Primary School
COLUMBUS MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Fairview Elementary School
Sale Elementary School
DESOTO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Center Hill Elementary School
Desoto Central Elementary School
Hernando Hills Elementary School
Lewisburg Elementary School
Lewisburg Intermediate School
EAST JASPER CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Heidelberg High School
Heidelberg Junior High School
William J. Berry Elementary School
ENTERPRISE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Enterprise Elementary School
Enterprise Middle School
GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Leakesville Elementary School
GREENWOOD-LEFLORE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Amanda Elzy High School
Amanda Elzy Junior High School
Leflore County Elementary School
GULFPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bayou View Elementary School
HARRISON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Creekbend Elementary and Middle School
D’Iberville Middle School
Harrison County Child Development Center
Lyman Elementary School
North Woolmarket Elementary and Middle Schools
HATTIESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Thames Elementary School
HINDS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Byram Middle School
Gary Road Intermediate School
HOLMES CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRCT
- V. Marshall Middle School
Williams-Sullivan Middle School
ITAWAMBA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dorsey Attendance Center
JACKSON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
St. Martin East Elementary School
Vancleave Upper Elementary School
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bailey Middle APAC School
Barack H. Obama Elementary School
Casey Elementary School
Chastain Middle School
Ida B. Wells APAC School
Lake Elementary School
McLeod Elementary School
McWillie Elementary School
Northwest Middle School
Walton Elementary School
JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Jefferson County Elementary School
Jefferson County High School
JONES COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
East Jones Elementary School
LAFAYETTE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Lafayette Middle School
LAMAR COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Baxterville School
Longleaf Elementary School
Oak Grove Elementary
Purvis Upper Elementary
LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Laurel Magnet School of the Arts
LAWRENCE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
New Hebron Attendance Center
LEAKE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Leake Central Elementary School
LEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Guntown Middle School
Shannon Elementary School
LELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
Leland School Park Middle School
LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
West Lincoln Attendance Center
LOWNDES COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Caledonia Elementary School
New Hope Elementary School
West Lowndes Elementary School
MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Camden Elementary School
Germantown Middle School
Highland Elementary School
Luther Branson School
Madison Avenue Lower Elementary
Madison Avenue Upper Elementary
Madison Crossing Elementary
Madison Middle School
Madison Station Elementary School
Mannsdale Elementary
Mannsdale Upper Elementary
MERIDIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Poplar Springs Elementary School
NATCHEZ-ADAMS SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Natchez Early College at Co-Lin
Natchez Middle School
NETTLETON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Nettleton Primary School
NEW ALBANY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
New Albany Elementary School
New Albany High School
New Albany Middle School
NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Newton County Elementary School
NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRCIT
- H. Pilate Middle School
Newton Elementary School
NORTH BOLIVAR CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL
Casper E. Hall Elementary School
NORTH TIPPAH SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Chalybeate Elementary School
Walnut Attendance Center
OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Magnolia Park Elementary School
Oak Park Elementary School
Pecan Park Elementary School
OKOLONA SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Okolona Elementary School
Okolona High School
Okolona Middle School
OXFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT
Oxford Middle School
PASCAGOULA GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT
Beach Elementary School
Martin Bluff Elementary School
PASS CHRISTIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Delisle Elementary School
Pass Christian Elementary
Pass Christian Middle School
PEARL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Northside Elementary School
Pearl Upper Elementary School
PETAL SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Petal Elementary School
Petal Primary School
PRENTISS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Hills Chapel School
Marietta Elementary School
Wheeler High School
RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Brandon Elementary School
Brandon High School
Brandon Middle School
Florence Elementary School
Florence High School
Florence Middle School
Flowood Elementary School
Highland Bluff Elementary
Northshore Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School
Northwest Rankin High School
Northwest Rankin Middle School
Oakdale Elementary School
Pisgah Elementary School
Pisgah High School
Puckett Elementary School
Rouse Elementary School
Steen’s Creek Elementary School
Stonebridge Elementary School
RICHTON SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Richton Elementary School
SCOTT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCT
Lake Elementary School
SMITH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Raleigh Elementary School
Taylorsville Attendance Center
SOUTH PIKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Eva Gordon Upper Elementary School
Osyka Elementary School
SOUTH TIPPAH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Ripley Elementary School
Ripley Middle School
SR1 COLLEGE PREP & STEM ACADEMY
SR1 College Preparatory & Stem Academy
STARKVILLE-OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Henderson Ward-Stewart Elementary
Overstreet Elementary School
SUNFLOWER COUNTY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Carver Elementary School
Drew Hunter Middle School
Lockard Elementary School
Moorhead Central School
Rosser Early Learning Center
TUNICA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dundee Elementary School
TUPELO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
Rankin Elementary School
UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Union Middle School
VICSKBURG WARREN SCHOOL DISTRICT
Beechwood Elementary School
Bowmar Avenue
WALTHALL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
Tylertown Elementary School
Tylertown Primary School
WATER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Davidson Elementary School
WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Buckatunna Elementary School
Clara Elementary School
Wayne Central Elementary School
Waynesboro Riverview Elementary School
WESTERN LINE SCHOOL DISTRCIT
O’Bannon Elementary School
WILKINSON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRCIT
William Winans Middle School
