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Jackson, Mississippi - 1 schools
An equity score of 45/100 ranks Joel E. Smillow Prep #87 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,777 per pupil, Joel E. Smillow Prep ranks #91 of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
577
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$10,777
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Joel E. Smillow Prep operates 1 public schools serving 577 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Hinds County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,777 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 30.7% local, 40.6% state, and 28.7% 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 45/100, ranked #87 of 146 in Mississippi against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 24.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 98.8% African American, 0.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% White across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Joel E. Smilow Prep, enrolling 521 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).
Joel E. Smilow Prep accounts for 90.3% of all Joel E. Smillow Prep student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Joel E. Smillow Prep a distant remainder — means Joel E. Smillow Prep-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Joel E. Smillow Prep 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.
Joel E. Smillow Prep chronic absenteeism rate is 24.6% — 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 Joel E. Smillow Prep is typically wider than the Joel E. Smillow Prep-aggregate figure suggests.
Joel E. Smillow Prep has 1 school, including 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 577 students.
How much does Joel E. Smillow Prep spend per student?
Joel E. Smillow Prep spends $10,777 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #87 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of Joel E. Smillow Prep?
Joel E. Smillow Prep students are 98.8% African American, 0.4% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% White, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Joel E. Smillow Prep?
Joel E. Smillow Prep has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #87 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.