Newton County School District will implement a new 10-point grading scale for the next school year.

Many say they believe Mississippi remains at a disadvantage in regards to its varied grading scale.

A student could average a 92 in each class during their high school career. At most schools in Mississippi, that translates to a 'B'. In neighboring states that use a 10-point scale, that would be an 'A'.

Students in other southern states like Alabama widely implement this same 10-point scale. This scale is statewide in Florida, too.

In Mississippi, it's left it up to the individual districts.

The new grading system could mean the difference between an A or a B.

Newton County school superintendent Pat Ross said this new scale will allow students to better compete with students nationwide for academic and athletic scholarships.

"And we think this will help students.," said Ross. "At the same time we can make sure that we don't lower standards and we increase rigor and relevance in the curriculum, and make sure we are demanding a lot of the students."

Some local schools still weighing the 10-point scale are Lauderdale County Schools and Meridian Public Schools. Neshoba County said no to the grading system.