Clinton Tops Mississippi - says local superintendent
Clinton Public School District's superintendent told city officials this week that the district has ranked as Mississippi's top-performing district for three straight years and lands in the 90th percentile nationally.
The remarks came during the district's annual budget and millage presentation to the Clinton Mayor and Board of Aldermen on Sept. 2. The superintendent, identified in meeting records as Dr. Andy Skagan, told board members, "Uh the top performer in Mississippi uh but also in the top 10 uh 90th percentile nationally."
The presentation was part of the district's regular budget process before the city board, which oversees the district's millage rate. No additional details on the source of the ranking, the methodology behind it, or how the three-year trend was calculated were provided during the meeting, according to the available record.
The superintendent's name is rendered phonetically in meeting records, and district rosters list a "Andy Schoggin" who may be the same official; the discrepancy has not been resolved. The ranking claim itself — that Clinton has been Mississippi's top district for three consecutive years and in the 90th percentile nationally — has not been independently verified against Mississippi Department of Education data or other outside sources.
Such claims carry weight beyond a single budget hearing. Performance data cited by school officials is often used in broader debates over school choice and accountability in Mississippi, making a superintendent's assertion of a multiyear top ranking a data point likely to draw scrutiny and comparison against independent measures before it is treated as settled fact.