McGee said the district’s goal is to better serve its students.

“Our goal is to provide the best opportunities for our students while they are a part of our district, and as they seek higher levels of education,” he said. “We felt this change was another step in providing the best for our students.”

Davis said the new system will “create a level playing field as our students compete for college admission and scholarships with other students in Mississippi school districts.”

He said, “the purpose of this scale is to provide a competitive balance for our students.”

McGee said for many years now the senior classes of Laurel High School have received over $1 million in college scholarships annually. He said the new system is expected to make even more scholarships available to LHS students.