Public schools in Laurel, MS
Laurel has 11 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 3 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 7,811 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Jones County School District runs 6 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Laurel's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Laurel | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County School District | 6 | 8,524 | $9,972 |
| Laurel School District | 5 | 2,712 | $12,215 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
3 high schools in Laurel, 3,257 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jones High School | 1,587 | 14.1 | 58.7% | Jones County |
| Northeast Jones High School | 938 | 10.5 | 55.5% | Jones County |
| Laurel High School | 732 | 17.2 | 99.9% | Laurel |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Laurel, 641 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Middle School | 388 | 16.6 | 100.0% | Laurel |
| Laurel Upper Elementary | 253 | 13.9 | 100.0% | Laurel |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 elementary schools in Laurel, 3,913 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jones Elementary School | 1,114 | 14.3 | 62.6% | Jones County |
| North Jones Elementary School | 854 | 14.3 | 74.0% | Jones County |
| East Jones Elementary School | 794 | 13.1 | 64.4% | Jones County |
| Glade Elementary School | 423 | 12.0 | 64.8% | Jones County |
| Oak Park Elementary School | 405 | 19.2 | 100.0% | Laurel |
| Laurel Magnet School of the Arts | 323 | 15.9 | 100.0% | Laurel |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Laurel's public schools compare with Mississippi's
The median Laurel school has 14.3 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the Mississippi median of 13.9. 82% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 81% across the state. Its median school enrolls 732 students (state 421).
| Laurel | Mississippi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 14.3 | 13.9 |
| Median school size (students) | 732 | 421 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 82% | 81% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 45% | 30% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 0.9% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 11 Laurel schools and the 844 Mississippi schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Laurel
- Jones County School DistrictRuns 6 of Laurel's 11 public schools and spent $9,972 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$9,972
- West Jones High School, the largest high school in Laurel1,587 students in 2024-25, 14.1 per teacher.1,587
- Compare Jones County School District with Laurel School DistrictLaurel's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in MississippiMississippi's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Laurel addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Mississippi
- Jackson46 schools
- Gulfport22 schools
- Hattiesburg18 schools
- Meridian16 schools
- Olive Branch14 schools
- Biloxi13 schools
- Columbus13 schools
- Vicksburg13 schools
Questions about schools in Laurel
How many public schools are in Laurel, MS?
11 public schools with an address in Laurel were open in 2024-25: 3 high, 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 7,811 students.What is the largest high school in Laurel?
West Jones High School, with 1,587 students in 2024-25 (Jones County School District).Which districts run Laurel's schools?
Jones County School District (6 schools), Laurel School District (5 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25