Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Canton, Mississippi - 8 schools
An equity score of 32/100 ranks Canton Public School Dist #120 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,408 per pupil, Canton Public School Dist ranks #76 of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,166
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$11,408
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Canton Public School Dist operates 8 public schools serving 3,166 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Madison County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,408 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending. See how Mississippi compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 38.0% local, 36.8% state, and 25.3% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 32/100, ranked #120 of 146 in Mississippi against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 351.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 29.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.6% African American, 18.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Canton Elementary School, with a diversity index of 50.8/100.
Its largest campus is Canton Public High School, enrolling 884 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Canton Public 9th Grade School, at 260 students, a 3x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Canton Public High School accounts for 26.0% of all Canton Public School Dist student enrollment
That concentration means Canton Public School Dist-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Canton Public School Dist school enrollment varies 3.4× across entities
Canton Public School Dist school enrollment ranges from 260 students (lowest) to 884 students (highest), a spread of 624 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Canton Public School Dist has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Canton Public School Dist student-counselor ratio is 352:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Canton Public School Dist chronic absenteeism rate is 29.4% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Canton Public School Dist is typically wider than the Canton Public School Dist-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Canton Public School Dist?
Canton Public School Dist has 8 schools, including 2 high, 4 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 3,166 students.
How much does Canton Public School Dist spend per student?
Canton Public School Dist spends $11,408 per student. The district has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #120 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of Canton Public School Dist?
Canton Public School Dist students are 77.6% African American, 18.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% White, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Canton Public School Dist?
Canton Public School Dist has an equity score of 32/100, ranking #120 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.