OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) launched its own Blue Ribbon School program after the federal program ended in August.

The program recognizes the state’s highest-performing schools annually. It highlights schools that excel in academic performance and/or make notable progress in reducing achievement gaps.

All three schools earning the inaugural recognition are Coast schools: Beach Elementary in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District, Bayou View Elementary in the Gulfport School District, and Ocean Springs High School.

Ocean Springs High School Principal Jacob Dykes said this is a big honor for the school.

“Just ecstatic, this is a huge accomplishment, it is like winning a state championship,” Dykes said. “For all schools in the entire st

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