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Tupelo, Mississippi - 13 schools
An equity score of 38/100 ranks Lee County School District #104 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,279 per pupil, Lee County School District ranks #109 of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,303
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$10,279
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lee County School District operates 13 public schools serving 6,303 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 3 high, 3 middle, 1 combined 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 Lee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,279 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 32.7% local, 50.6% state, and 16.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 38/100, ranked #104 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 13 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 294.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 31.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 52.6% White, 37.2% African American, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Shannon Elementary School, with a diversity index of 56.3/100.
Its largest campus is Saltillo High School, enrolling 939 students (15% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Shannon Middle School, at 190 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lee County School District school enrollment varies 4.9× across entities
Lee County School District school enrollment ranges from 190 students (lowest) to 939 students (highest), a spread of 749 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.
Lee County School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 71.4% 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 approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Lee County School District student-counselor ratio is 295:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Lee County School District is typically wider than the Lee County School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Lee County School District chronic absenteeism rate is 31.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Lee County School District?
Lee County School District has 13 schools, including 3 high, 6 elementary, 3 middle, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 6,303 students.
How much does Lee County School District spend per student?
Lee County School District spends $10,279 per student. The district has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #104 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of Lee County School District?
Lee County School District students are 52.6% White, 37.2% African American, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lee County School District?
Lee County School District has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #104 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.