An equity score of 52/100 ranks Meridian Public Schools #65 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,308 per pupil, Meridian Public Schools ranks #37 of 148 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
4,614
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$14,308
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Meridian Public Schools operates 9 public schools serving 4,614 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 middle, 1 high 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 Lauderdale County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,308 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 148 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending. See how Mississippi compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 34.9% local, 38.9% state, and 26.2% 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 52/100, ranked #65 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.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 184.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 38.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.5% African American, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.7% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Poplar Springs Elementary School, with a diversity index of 29.0/100.
Its largest campus is Meridian High School, enrolling 1,253 students (28% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Oakland Heights Elementary School, at 328 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses fell 17.3% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (4,614 to 3,816 students), and the student-teacher ratio held roughly steady, per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.
Of the district's $72,167,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 48.2% went to instruction, 37.2% to support services, and 7.5% to capital outlay, support-services-heavy relative to typical districts, reflecting spending on transportation, administration, or student services. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.
Meridian High School accounts for 27.2% of all Meridian Public Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Meridian Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Meridian Public Schools school enrollment varies 3.8× across entities
Meridian Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 328 students (lowest) to 1,253 students (highest), a spread of 925 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.
Meridian Public Schools reports 100.0% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Meridian Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 185:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Meridian Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 38.0% — 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.
Meridian Public Schools has 9 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 4,614 students.
How much does Meridian Public Schools spend per student?
Meridian Public Schools spends $14,308 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #65 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of Meridian Public Schools?
Meridian Public Schools students are 90.5% African American, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 2.7% White, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Meridian Public Schools?
Meridian Public Schools has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #65 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.