Education

Gulfport School District

The Gulfport School District is the public school system for students living within the city of Gulfport. The Gulfport School District has been recognized as a SACS/CASI Quality School District and has been assigned the overall assessment level of Highly Functioning, which is the highest level of accreditation and indicates that the Gulfport School District has met the accreditation requirements for the Commitment to Continuous Improvement standard.

The district's website provides comprehensive information, including school locations, daily menus, day, handbooks, and schedules.

Harrison County School District

The Harrison County School District serves a variety of large and small communities within the county, but outside but outside of city limits. The district emphasizes a community-orientated approach where each school is a focal point of its neighborhood. The culture, goals, and values of each community are respected and valued by school personnel. This appreciation of the community allows diversity; yet parents, teachers, and students across the district share a common focus. Together they work to provide the best education possible for the individual child.

Progress in this district is reflected through a technology-enhanced curriculum, which addresses the needs of the individual student, a wide range of extracurricular activities, a diverse and successful sports program, and ongoing building programs to accommodate the ever-growing student population.

School Options for Military Families

There are currently no Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools on base. There are many fine public and private kindergartens, elementary, middle, high and vocational schools on the Gulf Coast. School Liaison Office website.

Families living on base have the choice of their children attending school in either the Gulfport School District or the Long Beach School District. Parents can also choose to enroll their children to a neighboring school district, which includes Biloxi, Long Beach, Harrison County, or to remain in the Gulfport district.

If military families choose to enroll their child in a neighboring school district, they are generally responsible for their own transportation to and from school. However, both the Gulfport and the Long Beach School Districts provide bus service on NCBC Gulfport.

School District Choice Program

There are currently no Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools on Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport. However, there are many fine public and private school options, including kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school, and vocational schools on the Gulf Coast.

A Mississippi law, HB 879, allows military parents residing on base to choose their school district. Effective 1 July 2013, parents residing on NCBC Gulfport have the option of enrolling their children in adjacent school districts (Gulfport, Long Beach, Harrison County, Biloxi). Please remember that this law allows an on base parent to choose a school district, not a specific school within that district. For more information, you can contact the NCBC Gulfport School Liaison Office at 228-871-2117.

Transportation

Both Gulfport and Long Beach school districts operate bus services on base. The Gulfport School District buses transport to 28^th Street Elementary, Gaston Point Elementary, Central Middle and High School. Long Beach School District buses transport to Quarles Elementary, Harper McCaughan (Grades 4-6), Long Beach Middle, and Long Beach High School.

If a military family chooses to enroll their child in a neighboring school district, they are typically responsible for providing their own transportation to and from school.

Registration Requirements

Schools along the Mississippi Gulf Coast generally begin the second week in August and dismiss for summer at the end of May.

To ensure a smooth enrollment for your child in Mississippi Public Schools, please be prepared to provide the following documents:

• Mississippi Certificate of Immunization (Form 121). Out-of-state shot records must be transformed to the Mississippi form. This can be completed at the NCBC Medical Clinic, Keesler AFB Medical Center, or a local health department.
• Certified copy of birth certificate (not a hospital certificate)
• Student’s Social Security Number
• Verification of residency (must provide 2 forms of proper documentation: utility bills, driver’s license listing present address, automobile registration, filed Homestead Exemption application form, mortgage documents or property deed, apartment or home lease, housing assignment form, letter from housing director verifying residency-NCBC, etc.)
• Report cards and/or other records of grade placement
• IEP documents if special services required
• GUARDIANSHIP: Legal guardian must provide a copy of the most recent court order, signed by a judge, appointing them as legal guardian

Please contact the school's administration office to confirm what documents are needed for registration.

Age Requirements & Kindergarten/Pre-K Information

Students entering Kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before Sept 1.

Students entering first grade must be 6 years old on or before Sept 1.

*Kindergarten is not a mandatory requirement in Mississippi.

Some of the Gulf Coast school districts offer limited Pre-K classes funded privately or by parent fees. Please check with the district where you are zoned for more information. You can also call United Way at 896-2213 ext. 7112.

PreK4Ward

Transferring within and outside of Districts

Call the appropriate school district for their policy on school transfers within the district.

State Law requires that if you move out of a school district and you elect to keep your children in the previous district, then you may be required to pay tuition.

Checklist for Transferring Parents and Students

To ensure a smooth transition and proper class scheduling, the Military Child Education Coalition provides a helpful checklist. Gathering these documents from your child's current (sending) school will greatly assist the new (receiving) school.

From Military Child Education Coalition Transition Counselor Institute

From Parent/Guardian:

• Student's Birth Certificate
• Student's Social Security Number
• Student's Health Record (Immunizations, etc.)
• Legal Documents as Needed
• Proof of Residency/Military Orders

School Information:

• Address, Phone Numbers, Other Contact Information
• Course Description Book/Grading Scale (if available for 6th grade & above)
• Copy of the Cover of Each Textbook or the Title Page
• School Profile/Handbook
• School Web Page (URL)

School Records:

• Hand-carried cumulative records
• Current Schedule
• Report Cards
• Withdrawal Grades or Progress Reports
• Test Scores (Standardized or Special Program Testing, etc)

Special Programs' Records as Appropriate:

• Individual Education Plan (IEP)/Individual Accommodation Plan (504)/Gifted Program Description
• English as a Second Language (ESL) or Bilingual Education
• At-Risk or Other Action Plans for Classroom Modifications

Other Documents and Examples:

• Writing Samples and Other Work Examples
• Activities Records (co/extracurricular)
• Community Service or Service Learning
• Other Work or Performance Examples
• Academic Recognitions and Competition Participation

School attendance is based on where you live, unless parents are sending children to a private school.

School Liaison Office

The School Liaison Officer's main objective is to serve as a link between parents, educators, and the command so the military-connected child can have a smooth school transition. Other duties include creating partners in education, home school linkage, post-secondary preparations, act as a conduit connecting educators to Navy deployment, and to serve as a subject matter expert for education related issues. Call the Liaison Office at 228-871-2117.

Mississippi Home School regulations are available online.

Mississippi does not require testing or teacher qualification for home schooling, however there are laws stating that the home school must offer legitimate home instruction. All regulations and laws are listed on the Mississippi Department of Education Homeschool website.

Home school students must register by 15 September each school year, but parents can transfer children to home school at any time during the year.

To register, contact the school attendance officer assigned to the public school that your child would attend. You are required to fill out a Certificate of Enrollment for each child that will be home schooled. You will receive a Verification of Compliance from the attendance officer after you have completed the Certificate of Enrollment. The attendance officers for our area can be found by calling 601-359-3178.

Non-resident service members and family members will be able to pay in-state tuition rates in Mississippi.

Most schools in Mississippi serve only children and adolescents between kindergarten and the 12th grade. For over thirty years, the Gulfport School District has lengthened its vision to include parents and other adults in the community.

Gulfport was a pioneer in establishing the first Literacy Program in Mississippi and individuals, businesses, and organizations have referred students to this Reading Program through the years. No other Adult Education Program in the State has earned a better reputation for success in providing one-on-one instruction to adults who cannot read.

Community Education serves as an umbrella for vocational courses, recreation and enrichment, adult education, GED preparation, a GED testing center, and a literacy program that serves adults below the 4th grade level. The program matches needs in the community with resources in the community.

Community Education is a unique public relations tool and has provided an immeasurable amount of community good will for the School System. Thousands of citizens have earned job skills and are successful in the workplace as a direct result of this program. Lives have been enriched, and tax dollars have been stretched as citizens personally used the schools that their tax dollars supported. Our world is a better place because the Gulfport School District believes in lifelong education.

1. Is Mississippi a School Choice?

Under HB 1341, military families can transfer their child(ren) to any traditional public school in the state, providing that the receiving school district has the capacity to accept the student(s) and parents can provide daily transportation. Contact the School Liaison if you need assistance with navigating the registration process.

2. Which school is best to attend?
Each parent and child must decide which school best meets their needs. Visit prospective schools either personally or via the internet.

3. If I know where I will live, how can I find out which school my child will attend?
If you are not sure which school district you reside in, ask your realtor or contact the school liaison officer at 228-871-2117.

4.Do the schools offer a preschool program?
Only a few school districts have a pre-k program. They have qualification requirements and fees involved. Our base Child Development Center, 228-871-2323, offers a full pre-school program.

5. Can I home school in Mississippi?
Yes, any parent is permitted by law to teach his or her own children in a home instruction program. The state has a minimal amount of regulation that families must follow to legally home school. Parents are required to submit a certificate of enrollment for each child by September 15 of each year. Call the local School Attendance Officer for more information, 228-432-3700.

6. Are there support groups for home school families?
Yes

7. Are there private and parochial schools near NCBC? 
Yes. There are many religious and secular schools located in South Mississippi.

8. Is there a checklist for transitioning my special needs student?
Yes. You need to bring your students current IEP, copies of all comprehensive assessment-eligibility reports, student work/report card along with the documents mentioned under public school information. Each state may have different assessments and terminology. You will need to contact the Local Survey Chairperson (LSC) at your child's new school.