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Decatur, Mississippi - 2 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Newton County School District #89 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,570 per pupil, Newton County School District ranks #95 of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,688
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$10,570
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Newton County School District operates 2 public schools serving 1,688 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Newton County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,570 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 23.6% local, 50.1% state, and 26.3% 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 44/100, ranked #89 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.
a 825:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 31.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 67.9% White, 22.1% African American, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Newton County Elementary School accounts for 52.3% of all Newton County School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Newton County School District a distant remainder — means Newton County School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Newton County School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.5% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants 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.
Newton County School District student-counselor ratio is 825:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Newton County School District chronic absenteeism rate is 31.8% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Newton County School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Mississippi
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Newton County School District?
Newton County School District has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 1,688 students.
How much does Newton County School District spend per student?
Newton County School District spends $10,570 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #89 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of Newton County School District?
Newton County School District students are 67.9% White, 22.1% African American, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Newton County School District?
Newton County School District has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #89 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.