Mississippi Schools Rise From Last to First: How Literacy Reforms Drove Education Improvements

Mississippi transformed itself from the worst to the best in reading through evidence-based literacy reforms, teacher training, and early intervention, now ranking ninth nationally in fourth-grade reading proficiency.

Mississippi's fourth graders now rank ninth in the nation for reading, a dramatic turnaround for a state that placed 49th just over a decade ago.​

The transformation stems from comprehensive literacy reforms launched in 2013 with the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which overhauled how Mississippi teaches children to read. The state focused on evidence-based phonics instruction, mandatory teacher retraining, and early intervention for struggling students.​