Education in Mississippi
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Formal education in Mississippi began in the early 19th century with private schools and academies, a public education system was founded during the Reconstruction era, by the biracial legislature led by the Republican Party. Throughout its history, Mississippi has produced notable education inequalities due to racial segregation and underfunding of black schools, as well as rural zoning and lack of commitment to funding education.
At the start of the 21st century, Mississippi struggled to meet national assessment standards, and the state had low graduation rates. The Mississippi Legislature and Board of Education developed policies aimed at building better learning environments and standards in the classroom. Since 2013, Mississippi has improved reading scores across racial demographics and now frequently ranks in the top half nationwide, in a turn dubbed the Mississippi Miracle. In 2005, ninety-one percent of white students statewide were in public schools, and an even higher percentage of black students.
Although unusual in the West, school corporal punishment is common in Mississippi, with 31,236 public school students paddled at least one time. A greater percentage of students were paddled in Mississippi than in any other state, according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.