Mississippi Honorary High School Diploma for Wartime Veterans

A local school board may award an honorary high school diploma to a veteran who left school to serve, on two specific timelines tied to 1941 to 1955 and 1963 to 1973. Families may apply posthumously.

Also called: honorary diploma, high school, 37-16-13, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Vietnam Service Ribbon, posthumous, school district.

For: Veteran or service member, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

MississippiState

Under Miss. Code Ann. Section 37-16-13, the school board of a local school district may award an honorary high school diploma, in a form prescribed and supplied by the State Board of Education, to veterans of World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict who were unable to complete their education because of military service. The two eligibility windows are precise, and the second one has an extra condition that the first does not. The first reaches an honorably discharged veteran residing in Mississippi who was scheduled to graduate between 1941 and 1955 and was inducted into military service before completing the graduation requirements. The second reaches a veteran who was scheduled to graduate between 1963 and 1973, volunteered for military service, and received the Vietnam Service Ribbon. Note the differences: this path requires volunteering rather than induction, and it requires the Vietnam Service Ribbon specifically. A draftee from that period, or a volunteer who served elsewhere, does not fit the text as written. Family members of a deceased eligible veteran may apply for the diploma to be awarded posthumously. For families, this is often the point of the program. Apply through the school district the veteran attended, not through Mississippi Veterans Affairs and not through the State Board of Education. The district's board makes the award. Because the statute says a board may award rather than shall, a district has discretion, and a district that has never processed one will need the citation. Bring the DD-214, and for the 1963 to 1973 path, documentation of the Vietnam Service Ribbon. The veteran must be residing in Mississippi for the first path as the statute is written. For a veteran who has left the state, the district that would award it is still the one the veteran attended, so start there and ask.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Mississippi Honorary High School Diploma for Wartime Veterans
Gate	Rule
Scheduled to graduate 1941 to 1955 and inducted before completing requirements	The first path covers an honorably discharged veteran residing in Mississippi who was scheduled to graduate between 1941 and 1955 and was inducted into military service before completing graduation requirements. No rating is involved, so the rating filter never hides this benefit.
Scheduled to graduate 1963 to 1973, volunteered, and received the Vietnam Service Ribbon	The second path requires that the veteran was scheduled to graduate between 1963 and 1973, volunteered for military service, and received the Vietnam Service Ribbon. A draftee from that period does not fit the text as written.
Posthumous award on family application	Family members of a deceased eligible veteran may apply for the diploma to be awarded posthumously.
The local school board decides	The statute says the board of the district the veteran attended may award the diploma, so the award is discretionary and the application goes to that district rather than to a state agency.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-09-28.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.