The Oxford School District was bestowed with an A grade from the Mississippi Department of Education back in October, but after a ceremony held at Oxford Middle School, it all felt that more official.

On Monday morning, the Superintendent of Education for the state, Carey Wright, visited the school to give a speech and present Oxford Superintendent Brian Harvey with a certificate commemorating the district’s achievement. Oxford was one of 14 schools in the state to earn an A rating.

“It is an honor to be labeled an A school district and one of the best in the state,” Harvey said. “We owe that honor to these students and these teachers who fill these hallways and these administrators who are standing behind them.”

A group of students were also honored during the brief ceremony for scoring a perfect score on last year’s Mississippi Assessment Program or for showing significant growth and progress in their studies.

“Our school district had some of the highest growth numbers in the state,” Harvey said. “That model also includes graduation rates and tests that are taken at the high school and assessments given from grades three through ten. I want to say thank you on behalf of our district and our community.”

Wright spoke on how Oxford should be honored for being the number one school district in a state with 144 districts.

“Having achieved the highest score in the state is nothing short of amazing and you should be very proud of that,” Wright said. “It took every teacher, it took every school leader working their absolute hardest each and every day.”

She went on to thank the teachers directly for their work.

“Your work is nothing short of amazing,” she said. “I want you to know that you are the ones helping these children achieve unprecedented outcomes. You are the ones who are improving education in Mississippi. You are the ones making it happen each and every day. In the classroom is where that magic takes place.”