Public schools in Meridian, MS
Meridian has 16 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 4 high, 4 middle, 8 elementary, enrolling 8,605 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Lauderdale Co School Dist runs 9 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Meridian's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Meridian | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale Co School Dist | 9 | 5,910 | $11,039 |
| Meridian Public School District | 7 | 4,614 | $14,308 |
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.
4 high schools in Meridian, 2,650 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian High School | 1,253 | 11.0 | 99.8% | Meridian |
| Northeast Lauderdale High School | 608 | 12.3 | 54.6% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Clarkdale High School | 422 | 11.1 | 33.4% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Southeast Lauderdale High School | 367 | 11.0 | 49.6% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
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.
4 middle schools in Meridian, 1,815 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Lauderdale Middle School | 520 | 11.9 | 63.7% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Northwest Junior High School | 484 | 12.5 | 100.0% | Meridian |
| Magnolia Middle School | 440 | 13.0 | 100.0% | Meridian |
| Southeast Lauderdale Middle School | 371 | 12.4 | 63.6% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
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.
8 elementary schools in Meridian, 4,140 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lauderdale Elementary School | 761 | 17.2 | 38.0% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Northeast Lauderdale Elementary | 730 | 13.2 | 69.5% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Southeast Lauderdale Elementary | 562 | 16.7 | 61.6% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| Clarkdale Elementary School | 527 | 14.5 | 34.9% | Lauderdale Co School Dist |
| West Hills Elementary School | 423 | 15.7 | 100.0% | Meridian |
| Poplar Springs Elementary School | 405 | 14.6 | 100.0% | Meridian |
| Crestwood Elementary School | 368 | 16.4 | 99.2% | Meridian |
| Parkview Elementary School | 364 | 12.7 | 100.0% | Meridian |
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 Meridian's public schools compare with Mississippi's
The median Meridian school has 12.8 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the Mississippi median of 13.9. 81% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 81% across the state. Its median school enrolls 462 students (state 421).
| Meridian | Mississippi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 12.8 | 13.9 |
| Median school size (students) | 462 | 421 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 81% | 81% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 44% | 30% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 0.9% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 16 Meridian 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 Meridian
- Lauderdale Co School DistRuns 9 of Meridian's 16 public schools and spent $11,039 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,039
- Meridian High School, the largest high school in Meridian1,253 students in 2024-25, 11.0 per teacher.1,253
- Compare Lauderdale Co School Dist with Meridian Public School DistrictMeridian'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 Meridian 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
- Olive Branch14 schools
- Biloxi13 schools
- Columbus13 schools
- Vicksburg13 schools
- Greenville12 schools
Questions about schools in Meridian
How many public schools are in Meridian, MS?
16 public schools with an address in Meridian were open in 2024-25: 4 high, 4 middle, 8 elementary, enrolling 8,605 students.What is the largest high school in Meridian?
Meridian High School, with 1,253 students in 2024-25 (Meridian Public School District).Which districts run Meridian's schools?
Lauderdale Co School Dist (9 schools), Meridian Public School District (7 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