Jackson Public Schools
About Us
District Information
Jackson Public Schools is the third-largest school district in Mississippi, serving nearly 17,000 scholars, representing more than 80 percent of school-aged children in the state's capital and only urban municipality. Jackson, Mississippi has about 170,000 residents in an area of 104 square miles. There are 36 schools, which include 6 high schools, 7 middle schools, 23 elementary schools, along with 5 special program schools. These schools are divided into 6 feeder patterns based on the high school receiving the area's scholars.
Most of the District's administrative offices, including the Superintendent's office and the District's state-of-the-art boardroom, are housed in a two-block complex located at the city's center. Additional facilities in the city house offices for Campus Enforcement, Enrollment Services & Records, Transportation, Athletics, Child Nutrition, and more.
Special Programs
JPS scholars are enrolled in grades pre-K–12 and may take part in the District's special program offerings designed to meet the needs and interests of a large and diverse student and parent population. Pre-K is offered at 21 elementary schools, and the Montessori curriculum is taught at one elementary school. There are programs for the intellectually and academically gifted, including Open Doors, which is available to intellectually gifted scholars in grades 2–6, and APAC (Academic and Performing Arts Complex) for scholars in grades 4–12. Besides the academic component, the APAC program includes an intense visual and performing arts school. Students may audition as early as third grade to enter the program in the fourth grade.
Based on an international standard that includes accelerated language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and foreign language curricula, the International Baccalaureate Programme in JPS offers instruction for scholars in grades K–5 through the Primary Years Programme, for scholars in grades 6–10 through the Middle Years Programme, and for scholars in grades 11–12 through the Diploma Programme.