Mississippi names new Military Star Schools for upcoming term

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has announced the addition of 18 new schools to its Military Star Schools program for the period of 2025-27. This brings the total number of designated schools in Mississippi to 103. The designation acknowledges schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting military families and children of service members.

To qualify as a Military Star School, institutions must meet specific criteria tailored to address the unique needs of military students and their families. These requirements include appointing a dedicated school liaison for military families, offering student-led transition services and peer support, ensuring staff receive professional development on the needs of military students and families, and publicly recognizing service members and their families.

The newly designated schools are:

Gulfport School District: Pass Road Elementary

Harrison County School District: Creekbend Elementary & Middle School, D’Iberville Elementary School, D’Iberville Middle School, Harrison Central High School, North Gulfport Elementary & Middle School, West Harrison High School, West Wortham Elementary & Middle School, Woolmarket Elementary School

Jackson Public Schools: Forest Hill High School, Lanier High School, Murrah High School, Provine High School

Lauderdale County School District: Southeast Lauderdale Elementary School

Newton County School District: Newton County Elementary School

Pass Christian Public School District: Pass Christian High School

Petal School District: Petal Elementary School

Rankin County School District: Rankin County Learning Center

Governor Tate Reeves initiated the Military Star Schools program in February 2022 through Executive Order 1561. At that time, Mississippi became one of 31 states with a formal program recognizing schools that support military families. In 2024, 31 schools received this designation for the period of 2024-26.

The purpose of the Military Star Schools program is to assist schools in addressing educational and social-emotional challenges faced by military-connected children during transitions to new schools while preparing them for college, workforce readiness, and life skills. The term "military-connected" refers to children whose parents are active duty service members or part of the National Guard and Reserves.

The designation lasts for two years. Schools may reapply to maintain it or apply anew in subsequent cycles.

For a complete list of all Military Star Schools visit MDE’s Military Star Schools webpage.

All MDE news releases can be found at mdek12.org/news.

Note: This article was updated on June 16, 2025, to correct that 18 new Military Star Schools were named for 2025-27 instead of the previously reported figure of 20.