Mississippi School of the Arts has joined 45 other high schools in the state of Mississippi to receive the 2022 College Success Award from Greatschools.org.

The Mississippi Department of Education announced that 46 Mississippi high schools have received the prestigious 2022 College Success Award from GreatSchools.org, the nation’s leading nonprofit providing school information to parents and families.

Now in its fifth year, the annual recognition honors public high schools that excel at preparing students to enroll and succeed in college, as determined by available data in each state.

Mississippi’s recipients are among 1,742 winners from 25 states that have demonstrated successful track records of graduating students who enroll in two- or four-year colleges, are ready for college-level coursework, and persist on to their second year. Despite the many challenges brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic, these schools have continued to uphold many best practices to support their students’ college preparation and success.

The College Success Award is possible because Mississippi is leading the nation in both collecting and transparently sharing information on how students perform after high school, which is valuable information for families, educators, and policymakers.

“We applaud Mississippi for prioritizing a high-quality public education that puts students on the path to bright futures,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools. “It’s inspiring to see how entire school communities — students, teachers, and families — can work together in pursuit of a common goal: success for all. Congratulations to these 46 schools for receiving the College Success Award as proof of their hard work and dedication.”

“MSA prioritizes preparation for our students to enter the world after high school. As a result, they are applying to colleges, conducting college research early in the fall of their senior year. We consistently have more than 90 percent of our students going to institutions of higher learning,” said MSA Executive Director Suzanne Hirsch. “Our programming gives students the ability to have options after graduation. We are happy to receive this award because it validates our efforts for our students.”